Quiz: Festivals and fairs

1 In which city is a family visit to the Mausi Maa temple followed by a trip to the Gundicha temple celebrated by millions of people?

2 Which fair, traditionally held on Kartik Poornima in Bihar, is regarded as the largest of its type in Asia and claims origins in purchases by Chandragupta Maurya’s army?

3 The motto of this festival is Laissez les bons temps rouler (Let the good times roll) and purple, green and gold are the traditional colours. Started in the US in 1703, the name of this festival literally means ‘Fat Tuesday’ and is held 47 days before Easter. Name it.

4 For which festival is the Empire State Building lit up in green on March 17 every year?

5 Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese’s marriage in the autumn of 1810 was celebrated with festivities in the city gates, and horse races were held a few days later to commemorate the event. This was the start of one of Europe’s most popular festivals . Name it.

6 Annual festivals celebrating a particular flower are held in Albany, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec with the largest in Amsterdam. There is one held in Srinagar every year. Which flower is so celebrated?

7 A series of concerts lectures and recitals was started in 1914 in a small British town by composer Rutland Boughton. While these festivities stopped in 1926, another festival was born in the same location in 1970, and is one of the biggest in the world. Name the town.

8 Russia hosts an annual theatre festival in Moscow, which is also unique for featuring productions that are collaborations between two of more countries. The festival is split into three parts: the World Series, the Program of Moscow Theaters, and the Regional Program. After which man of letters is it named?

9 While the Woodstock Festival attracted 5,00,000 people in 1969, another American music festival, started a year prior, holds the record for being the largest music festival. Summerfest, held over 11 days, attracts between 8,00,000 to a million people annually, and is certified by the Guinness World Records. In which city is it held?

10 Which annual Sikh festival held in Anandpur Sahib, and literally meaning ‘charge of an army’, was started in 1701 by Guru Gobind Singh to keep his army prepared for battles against the Mughals?

Answers

1. Puri. The Rath Yatra. Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra spend nine days at the Gundicha temple after visiting their aunt en route.

2. The Sonepur Cattle Fair, traditionally held for two weeks in November

3. Mardi Gras, celebrated in New Orleans

4. St Patrick’s Day, celebrated by Irish immigrants in New York since 1762

5. Oktoberfest in Munich

6. Tulip. Amsterdam has an annual Tulip Day in January.

7. Glastonbury. The Glastonbury Music Festival is one of the largest in the world, with almost 2,00,000 people visiting every year

8. Anton Chekhov; the Chekhov Theatre Festival, now in its 25th year

9. Milwaukee, in Wisconsin

10. Hola Mohalla, which mostly features mock battles and martial art displays

_{Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup; Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj}

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