A bonfire is lit on the night before Holi. Which figure from Hindu legend is the rite named after?Answer: Holika. Source: Wikipedia: Holika Dahan
At La Tomatina, held each August in the Spanish town of Buñol, what do the crowds throw at one another?Answer: Tomatoes. Source: Wikipedia: La Tomatina
At Thailand's Loy Krathong festival, what do people set afloat on rivers, canals and ponds?Answer: Small decorated baskets holding a candle. Source: Wikipedia: Loy Krathong
At the Fallas of Valencia each March, what happens to the giant painted sculptures on the final night?Answer: They are burned. Source: Wikipedia: Falles
At the fire festival of Up Helly Aa in Lerwick, Shetland, what is burned at the end of the torchlit procession?Answer: An imitation Viking galley. Source: Wikipedia: Up Helly Aa
At the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan, what does a sister tie around the wrist of her brother?Answer: A talisman or amulet called a rakhi. Source: Wikipedia: Raksha Bandhan
At the Qingming Festival in spring, what do Chinese families traditionally do?Answer: Visit and clean the graves of their ancestors. Source: Wikipedia: Qingming Festival
At which Hindu spring festival do people throw colored powder and water at one another?Answer: Holi. Source: Wikipedia: Holi
The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates which poet and statesman?Answer: Qu Yuan. Source: Wikipedia: Dragon Boat Festival
During Japan's Obon festival in summer, whom do families honor?Answer: The spirits of their ancestors. Source: Wikipedia: Bon Festival
Eating a bowl of tteokguk, a soup of sliced rice cakes, on the Korean new year is traditionally said to do what?Answer: Make you a year older. Source: Wikipedia: Tteokguk
Eid al-Fitr is the festival that ends which month of fasting?Answer: Ramadan. Source: Wikipedia: Eid al-Fitr
In Japan, at Setsubun in early February, what do people throw to drive bad luck out of the house?Answer: Roasted soybeans. Source: Wikipedia: Setsubun
In Japan, hanami is the custom of gathering outdoors to enjoy what?Answer: Cherry blossoms. Source: Wikipedia: Hanami
In Sweden, what do people traditionally raise and dance around at Midsummer?Answer: A maypole dressed in leaves and flowers. Source: Wikipedia: Midsummer
Inti Raymi, staged every June in Cusco, Peru, was the great Inca festival of which god?Answer: Inti, the sun god. Source: Wikipedia: Inti Raymi
Matariki, the Māori new year, is marked by the rising of which group of stars?Answer: The Pleiades. Source: Wikipedia: Matariki
Mongolia's Naadam festival is built around three sports. Wrestling and horse racing are two. What is the third?Answer: Archery. Source: Wikipedia: Naadam
On Nyepi, the Balinese new year, what do the people of Bali do for a full day?Answer: Keep silent and stay indoors. Source: Wikipedia: Nyepi
The Palio, run twice each summer around the main square of Siena in Italy, is what kind of race?Answer: A horse race. Source: Wikipedia: Palio di Siena
Vesak, a public holiday in much of South and Southeast Asia, commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of whom?Answer: The Buddha. Source: Wikipedia: Vesak
Which bread is eaten at a Passover Seder, in memory of a people who left Egypt in haste?Answer: Matzah. Source: Wikipedia: Matzah
Which food is traditionally eaten at the Dragon Boat Festival?Answer: Zongzi, sticky rice wrapped in leaves. Source: Wikipedia: Dragon Boat Festival
Which of the two main Islamic festivals is known in English as the Feast of the Sacrifice?Answer: Eid al-Adha. Source: Wikipedia: Eid al-Adha
Food and table manners 24
The Arabic word halal is used for food that Muslims may eat. What does the word mean?Answer: Permissible. Source: Wikipedia: Halal
Around the eastern Mediterranean, what is a meze?Answer: A spread of little dishes eaten as appetizers. Source: Wikipedia: Meze
At a traditional feast in South India, what is the meal served on?Answer: A banana leaf. Source: Wikipedia: Banana leaf
Gimjang, listed by UNESCO in 2013, is the Korean custom of doing what together in late autumn?Answer: Making and sharing enough kimchi for the winter. Source: Wikipedia: Gimjang
In Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, mate is sipped from a gourd through a metal straw. What is the straw called?Answer: A bombilla. Source: Wikipedia: Mate (drink)
In Cantonese teahouses, how do diners silently thank someone who has just filled their cup?Answer: By tapping fingers on the table. Source: Wikipedia: Yum cha
In India, what is a thali?Answer: A round platter holding small bowls of different dishes. Source: Wikipedia: Thali
In Indonesia, which hand should be used for eating, passing things to people and giving a gift?Answer: The right hand. Source: Wikipedia: Etiquette in Asia
In Japan and China, why is it bad manners to stand your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice?Answer: It looks like incense burned for the dead. Source: Wikipedia: Chopsticks
In Japan, how is loudly slurping a bowl of hot noodles regarded?Answer: As a compliment to the chef. Source: Wikipedia: Customs and etiquette in Japanese dining
In Japan, which word is said before eating and means I humbly receive?Answer: Itadakimasu. Source: Wikipedia: Customs and etiquette in Japanese dining
In Russia, which metal urn is the traditional way to keep water hot for tea?Answer: A samovar. Source: Wikipedia: Samovar
In South Africa, what is a braai?Answer: A barbecue, and the social gathering around it. Source: Wikipedia: Regional variations of barbecue
In Spanish, what is the sobremesa?Answer: The time spent talking at table once a meal is over. Source: Wikipedia: Sobremesa
In Sweden, what is fika?Answer: A break for coffee and something sweet, taken with other people. Source: Wikipedia: Coffee in Sweden
In Thailand, which pair of utensils is normally used for a meal of rice and shared dishes?Answer: A spoon and a fork, with the fork pushing food onto the spoon. Source: Wikipedia: Thai cuisine
In the European style of using a knife and fork, where does the fork stay?Answer: In the left hand throughout the meal. Source: Wikipedia: Eating utensil etiquette
Korean chopsticks differ from Chinese and Japanese ones in usually being made of what?Answer: Metal. Source: Wikipedia: Chopsticks
Mint tea, poured from high above into small glasses, is a sign of hospitality in Morocco and across the Maghreb. Which tea is it made with?Answer: Green tea. Source: Wikipedia: Maghrebi mint tea
The North African stew called a tagine takes its name from what?Answer: The clay pot with a cone-shaped lid that it is cooked in. Source: Wikipedia: Tajine
Singapore's open-air food courts, where cooks sell cheap freshly made dishes from stalls, joined a UNESCO heritage list in 2020. What are they called?Answer: Hawker centers. Source: Wikipedia: Hawker centre
Under kosher rules, the Jewish dietary laws, which two kinds of food may not be cooked or eaten together?Answer: Meat and dairy. Source: Wikipedia: Kashrut
What is the small long-handled pot used to make Turkish coffee called?Answer: A cezve. Source: Wikipedia: Turkish coffee
Who is commonly credited with starting the English custom of afternoon tea, in the 1830s or 1840s?Answer: Anna, Duchess of Bedford. Source: Wikipedia: Tea (meal)
Greetings, gestures and good manners 24
A khata is given in Tibet and Mongolia to greet guests and mark big occasions. What is it?Answer: A ceremonial scarf. Source: Wikipedia: Khata
The Arabic expression inshallah is heard across the Muslim world whenever plans are made. What does it mean?Answer: If God wills. Source: Wikipedia: Inshallah
The Hebrew greeting shalom and the Arabic greeting salaam share a meaning. What is it?Answer: Peace. Source: Wikipedia: Shalom
In a Japanese home, what is the genkan?Answer: The entryway where shoes are taken off. Source: Wikipedia: Genkan
In France, what is la bise?Answer: A greeting of light kisses on the cheeks. Source: Wikipedia: Cheek kissing
In Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, what does a single nod of the head upward, but not down, mean?Answer: No. Source: Wikipedia: Nod (gesture)
In India, a younger person shows respect with a gesture called charanasparsha. Which part of the elder is touched?Answer: The feet. Source: Wikipedia: Pranāma
In Italy, which number is traditionally considered unlucky?Answer: 17. Source: Wikipedia: Heptadecaphobia
In much of East Asia the number four is often skipped in floor and room numbers. Why?Answer: It sounds like the word for death. Source: Wikipedia: Tetraphobia
In Spain a person traditionally has two surnames. Where do they come from?Answer: One from the father and one from the mother. Source: Wikipedia: Spanish naming customs
In Spanish-speaking countries and in Greece, which day is the traditional unlucky one, in place of Friday the 13th?Answer: Tuesday the 13th. Source: Wikipedia: Friday the 13th
In the Filipino gesture called mano, how does a younger person show respect to an elder?Answer: By touching their own forehead to the back of an elder's hand. Source: Wikipedia: Mano (gesture)
In the hongi, the traditional Māori greeting, what do two people do?Answer: Press their noses together. Source: Wikipedia: Hongi
In which European country is the family name placed before the given name, as it is in China, Japan and Korea?Answer: Hungary. Source: Wikipedia: Hungarian names
The Italian word ciao comes from a Venetian phrase. What did it literally mean?Answer: I am your slave. Source: Wikipedia: Ciao
The kowtow was a sign of deep respect in imperial China. What did it involve?Answer: Kneeling and bowing until the head touches the ground. Source: Wikipedia: Kowtow
The kunik is a traditional Inuit sign of affection, mostly between family members. How is it done?Answer: By pressing the nose and upper lip to the other person's skin and breathing in. Source: Wikipedia: Eskimo kiss
The maneki-neko, a cat figure seen in shops and restaurants across Japan, has one paw raised. What is the paw doing?Answer: Beckoning people to come in. Source: Wikipedia: Maneki-neko
Mazel tov is heard at Jewish weddings and other happy events. How is it used?Answer: To say congratulations. Source: Wikipedia: Mazel tov
Most Icelanders have no family surname. What is their last name based on?Answer: Their father's first name or mother. Source: Wikipedia: Icelandic name
Namaste is said with a slight bow and with the hands in which position?Answer: Palms pressed together before the chest. Source: Wikipedia: Namaste
The shaka, a friendly hand sign from Hawaii, is made by extending which two fingers?Answer: The thumb and the little finger. Source: Wikipedia: Shaka sign
What is the traditional Thai greeting, a small bow, palms pressed together, called?Answer: The wai. Source: Wikipedia: Thai greeting
When someone sneezes, German speakers say Gesundheit. What does the word mean?Answer: Health. Source: Wikipedia: Response to sneezing
Languages and writing 24
Afrikaans, one of the official languages of South Africa, developed from the speech of settlers from which country?Answer: The Netherlands. Source: Wikipedia: Afrikaans
American Sign Language grew out of a school for the deaf founded in Hartford in 1817. Which other sign language is it most closely related to?Answer: French Sign Language. Source: Wikipedia: American Sign Language
Arabic and Hebrew are both written in which direction?Answer: From right to left. Source: Wikipedia: Arabic alphabet
Basque, spoken at the western end of the Pyrenees, stands alone among the languages of Europe. Why?Answer: It has no known living relative. Source: Wikipedia: Basque language
Emoji is a Japanese word. What do its parts mean?Answer: Picture and character. Source: Wikipedia: Emoji
Haitian Creole, one of Haiti's two official languages, takes most of its vocabulary from which language?Answer: French. Source: Wikipedia: Haitian Creole
Hangul, the alphabet used to write Korean, was created in the 1440s under which king?Answer: Sejong the Great. Source: Wikipedia: Hangul
In 1928 which country switched by law from an Arabic-based script to a new Latin alphabet?Answer: Turkey. Source: Wikipedia: Turkish alphabet
In Chinese tradition, the Four Treasures of the Study are the tools of calligraphy. The brush, the ink and the paper are three. What is the fourth?Answer: The ink stone. Source: Wikipedia: Four Treasures of the Study
In which language does a written question begin with an upside-down question mark?Answer: Spanish. Source: Wikipedia: Upside-down question and exclamation marks
In which language is every noun written with a capital letter?Answer: German. Source: Wikipedia: German orthography
The Inca ran an empire without a writing system. What did they use to keep records?Answer: Knotted cords called quipu. Source: Wikipedia: Quipu
Ogham, a script of strokes and notches found on standing stones, was used to write an early form of which language?Answer: Irish. Source: Wikipedia: Ogham
Sequoyah, who could not read any language, invented a writing system of 85 characters for his own people. Which language does it write?Answer: Cherokee. Source: Wikipedia: Cherokee syllabary
Silbo Gomero is used to send messages across the ravines of La Gomera in the Canary Islands. What kind of language is it?Answer: A whistled language. Source: Wikipedia: Silbo Gomero
Speakers of Hindi and Urdu can understand one another. What most clearly separates the two on the page?Answer: Hindi is written in Devanagari and Urdu in a Perso-Arabic script. Source: Wikipedia: Hindustani language
Swahili, a Bantu language, belongs to East Africa. Which language gave it the largest share of its borrowed words?Answer: Arabic. Source: Wikipedia: Swahili language
Switzerland has four national languages. German, French and Italian are three. What is the fourth?Answer: Romansh. Source: Wikipedia: Languages of Switzerland
Which alphabet, carried around the Mediterranean by sea traders, is the ancestor of both the Greek and the Latin letters?Answer: The Phoenician alphabet. Source: Wikipedia: Phoenician alphabet
Which country has more living languages than any other, with more than 800?Answer: Papua New Guinea. Source: Wikipedia: Languages of Papua New Guinea
Which language has the most native speakers in the world?Answer: Mandarin Chinese. Source: Wikipedia: Mandarin Chinese
Which language of Southeast Asia is written in the Latin alphabet, with added marks to show its tones?Answer: Vietnamese. Source: Wikipedia: Vietnamese alphabet
Which official language of the European Union is a Semitic language, related to Arabic, that is written in the Latin alphabet?Answer: Maltese. Source: Wikipedia: Maltese language
Xhosa and Zulu, spoken in southern Africa, use a group of sounds that is rare among the languages of the world. What are they?Answer: Click consonants. Source: Wikipedia: Click consonant
Clothing and crafts 24
A kanga is a printed cotton wrap worn in East Africa. What is usually printed on a strip within the design?Answer: A message or saying in Swahili. Source: Wikipedia: Kanga (garment)
A kimono is wrapped with the left side over the right. When is it wrapped the other way?Answer: When the wearer has died. Source: Wikipedia: Kimono
Among the Tuareg of the Sahara, who wears the tagelmust, a long indigo-dyed cloth that covers the head and face?Answer: Adult men. Source: Wikipedia: Tagelmust
The áo dài, a long tunic split at the sides and worn over trousers, is the national dress of which country?Answer: Vietnam. Source: Wikipedia: Áo dài
Aymara and Quechua women in Bolivia are known for wearing which European-style hat?Answer: The bowler hat. Source: Wikipedia: Bowler hat
Azulejos cover church walls, railway stations and house fronts across Portugal. What are they?Answer: Painted glazed tiles. Source: Wikipedia: Azulejo
Batik cloth, most closely linked with Indonesia, is patterned by dyeing the fabric after drawing the design on it in what?Answer: Hot wax. Source: Wikipedia: Batik
Beginning in 1291, the glassmakers of Venice were concentrated by law on which island?Answer: Murano. Source: Wikipedia: Murano glass
The cuckoo clock is a traditional craft of which forested region of Germany?Answer: The Black Forest. Source: Wikipedia: Cuckoo clock
The curved teardrop motif that English speakers call paisley came from Persia by way of Kashmir shawls. Its English name comes from a textile town in which country?Answer: Scotland. Source: Wikipedia: Paisley (design)
The dreamcatcher is a willow hoop strung with a web. Its Ojibwe name comes from the word for which creature?Answer: A spider. Source: Wikipedia: Dreamcatcher
The fez, a flat-topped red felt hat with a tassel, shares its name with a city in which country?Answer: Morocco. Source: Wikipedia: Fez (hat)
In Scottish Highland dress, what is a sporran?Answer: A pouch worn at the front of the kilt. Source: Wikipedia: Sporran
In which country do men wear a knee-length robe called a gho, tied at the waist with a cloth belt, as national dress?Answer: Bhutan. Source: Wikipedia: Gho
The keffiyeh, a square cotton headdress worn across the Arab world, is often held in place by a circlet of cord. What is the cord called?Answer: An agal. Source: Wikipedia: Keffiyeh
Kente, a cloth of bright silk and cotton woven in narrow strips, comes from which country?Answer: Ghana. Source: Wikipedia: Kente cloth
Klompen are the traditional shoes of the Netherlands. What are they made of?Answer: Wood. Source: Wikipedia: Klomp
Lederhosen are the traditional short trousers of Bavaria and the Alps. What are they made of?Answer: Leather. Source: Wikipedia: Lederhosen
The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania wrap themselves in sheets of cloth called shuka. Which color is most typical?Answer: Red. Source: Wikipedia: Maasai people
Mehndi is body art painted on the hands and feet at weddings and festivals across South Asia. Which plant is the paste made from?Answer: Henna. Source: Wikipedia: Mehndi
Russian matryoshka dolls, first made in the 1890s, are known for what?Answer: Each doll opens to show a smaller doll inside. Source: Wikipedia: Matryoshka doll
Tiny worry dolls, to which children tell their troubles before going to sleep, come from which country?Answer: Guatemala. Source: Wikipedia: Worry doll
Which garment of South Asia is a single long piece of unstitched cloth, wrapped around the waist and draped over one shoulder?Answer: The sari. Source: Wikipedia: Sari
The word khaki came into English through the British Indian Army. What does it mean?Answer: Soil-colored. Source: Wikipedia: Khaki
Music, dance and games 24
A gamelan, the traditional orchestra of Java and Bali, is made up mostly of which kind of instrument?Answer: Percussion, such as gongs and metal-keyed instruments. Source: Wikipedia: Gamelan
Bhangra began as a folk dance in which region of India and Pakistan?Answer: Punjab. Source: Wikipedia: Bhangra (dance)
Capoeira, from Brazil, blends dance, music and acrobatics with what?Answer: A martial art. Source: Wikipedia: Capoeira
Chess descends from chaturanga, a game first known around the seventh century in which country?Answer: India. Source: Wikipedia: Chaturanga
The didgeridoo of northern Australia is traditionally made from a branch or trunk that has been hollowed out by what?Answer: Termites. Source: Wikipedia: Didgeridoo
Fado, whose name means fate and whose songs are full of the longing called saudade, is the music of which country?Answer: Portugal. Source: Wikipedia: Fado
Flamenco, with its guitar, song, dance and handclaps, comes from which region of Spain?Answer: Andalusia. Source: Wikipedia: Flamenco
The haka is a ceremonial dance of which people?Answer: The Māori. Source: Wikipedia: Haka
How many performers work a single lion in a Chinese lion dance?Answer: Two. Source: Wikipedia: Lion dance
Hula has two main styles. Kahiko is the ancient one, danced to chant and traditional instruments. What is the modern style, danced to song, guitar and ukulele, called?Answer: ʻAuana. Source: Wikipedia: Hula
In Japanese kabuki theater, what is an onnagata?Answer: A male actor who plays women's roles. Source: Wikipedia: Kabuki
In mancala games, played across Africa and Asia, what do players move around the board?Answer: Seeds or stones, dropped one at a time into rows of pits. Source: Wikipedia: Mancala
In the caber toss at a Highland games, what is the thrower trying to do?Answer: Flip the log end over end so that it lands pointing straight away. Source: Wikipedia: Caber toss
In the French game of pétanque, what is the small wooden target ball called?Answer: The cochonnet. Source: Wikipedia: Pétanque
In the late 1960s reggae grew out of rocksteady and ska on which island?Answer: Jamaica. Source: Wikipedia: Reggae
The mbira, a set of metal tines fixed to a wooden board and plucked with the thumbs, is traditional to the Shona people of which country?Answer: Zimbabwe. Source: Wikipedia: Mbira
The modern steelpan, which Trinidad and Tobago has as its national instrument, is made from what?Answer: A 200-liter industrial steel drum. Source: Wikipedia: Steelpan
Sepak takraw, played across Southeast Asia, looks like volleyball with a rattan ball. What is the big difference?Answer: Players may not touch the ball with their hands or arms. Source: Wikipedia: Sepak takraw
Shogi, often called Japanese chess, has a rule that chess lacks. What is it?Answer: A captured piece can be put back on the board by the player who took it. Source: Wikipedia: Shogi
The sitar is a long-necked string instrument from which part of the world?Answer: The Indian subcontinent. Source: Wikipedia: Sitar
Snakes and ladders began in ancient India as a game of moral lessons. What did the snakes stand for?Answer: Vices. Source: Wikipedia: Snakes and ladders
Tango grew up in the 1880s in the port districts along which river, the border between Argentina and Uruguay?Answer: The Río de la Plata. Source: Wikipedia: Tango
The West African kora is a string instrument built on a large gourd. How many strings does it usually have?Answer: 21. Source: Wikipedia: Kora (instrument)
The whirling dervishes of Turkey belong to the Mevlevi order, founded by the followers of which 13th-century poet?Answer: Rumi. Source: Wikipedia: Mevlevi Order
How it works
What are Korean chopsticks made of, and which number do Italians avoid? These 144 culture trivia questions take in customs from every inhabited continent. Tap a choice and the card tells you the story behind it.
Read the full guide
Host a culture night in rounds
Set Start from to one round for 24 questions on one subject. Read the question and its four choices aloud, have teams write a letter, then tap a choice and read the reason out too, because the why is the best part of a custom. Tally on paper: the card keeps no team scores. Greetings, gestures and good manners has the fewest hard questions, so it makes a kind opener.
Print a round for a class or a potluck
Pick a round under Start from and play a set, then Print lists its questions with lettered choices. A tick on With answer key adds each reason. Food and table manners suits an international potluck. The questions load over the network, so print while you are online.
Ask guests what their own family does. A question on la bise or the right hand for eating often starts a better story.
Teaching across several screens? Share this set gives a link that opens these questions in one fixed order for everyone.
Languages and writing and Music, dance and games hold ten hard questions each. Save one for the final round and score it double.
Questions and answers
What makes good cultural trivia questions?
A custom with a reason behind it. Asking why chopsticks are never stood upright in rice teaches more than asking for a capital city. Every question here explains its answer, and no culture is treated as a joke.
How hard are the questions?
Of the 144, 20 are easy, such as the Hindu festival of colored powder. Another 74 are medium, and 50 are hard, such as the number of strings on a West African kora. Every round mixes all three levels.
Which cultures are covered?
Every inhabited continent appears: Ghanaian kente, Swedish fika, Inca quipu, the Cherokee syllabary, the Thai festival of Loy Krathong and the Māori hongi, among others. Film, television, chart music and celebrity questions are left out on purpose.
Can I use these for a school culture day?
Yes. The content is clean and customs are described with respect. Each answer links to the article it was checked against on September 19, 2026, so students can read further. A printed sheet holds 20 questions.