On February 1, Chinese people and those of Chinese descent celebrate one of their most important holidays: Lunar New Year. Do you know where the holiday comes from and how it's celebrated? Go ahead and test your knowledge!
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The Lunar New Year date is determined by the phases of the moon. Technically, the holiday begins during the second new moon after the winter solstice. What is a new moon?
A full moon
A crescent moon
A phase of the moon where the moon is invisible from Earth
A half moon
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According to one legend, Lunar New Year celebrations began as a way to scare away a beast named Nian, who visits cities and villages each spring and attacks people. Nian is afraid of a few things, though. What are they?
Loud noises and the color red
Water and bees
The color yellow and the music of flutes
The taste of dumplings and the smell of fried chicken
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Which of these foods is not traditionally eaten during Lunar New Year?
Fish
Cheese
Dumplings
Sticky rice
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As part of Lunar New Year, red envelopes are traditionally given by elders to young people. What is inside of the envelopes?
Money
Grains of rice
Photos
Poems
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Lunar New Year parades typically include a lion dance. What happens in a lion dance?
A circus ringmaster herds lions down a street.
Dancers perform kung fu movements inside a lion costume.
A man and a woman waltz while wearing lionlike headgear.
A community performs a large line dance to remind people not to lie during the new year.
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Fireworks and new year celebrations go together like peanut butter and jelly. But fireworks during the Lunar New Year come from a tradition of lighting bamboo stalks on fire. What were the bamboo sticks used for?
To light the path for ancestors to greet them.
For celebration and decoration.
The "boom" they produced when heated was thought to ward off evil spirits.
To let celebrators know where the Lunar New Year festivities are happening.
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Doing which one of these actions is considered good luck during Lunar New Year?
Cutting your hair
Washing your hair
Wearing red
Buying shoes
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A dish containing long noodles is traditional during Lunar New Year. What does it represent?
A long life
A money in your future
Happiness
A good year
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The Chinese zodiac system assigns each year to one of 12 animals. This year is the Year of the Tiger. What animal represented 2021?
Monkey
Sheep
Snake
Ox
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Which of these animals is not one of the animals that represent a year in the Chinese zodiac system?
Cat
Dog
Rooster
Horse
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Lunar New Year is celebrated during multiple days called a Spring Festival. How long is the Spring Festival?
3 days
10 days
15 days
28 days