Holiday Trivia Part I – Hanukkah and Kwanzaa

Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa as an opportunity for Black Americans to reaffirm their African roots and strengthen their bonds in a time of racial unrest. 

DID YOU KNOW . . .  

That the word Kwanzaa is Swahili?

That when Kwanzaa was first celebrated in the United States, it was celebrated in California?

That Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven days?

That the word Kwanzaa means “first fruits”?

That the three colors of Kwanzaa are red, green, and black?

That Kwanzaa begins on December 26 each year?

That Kwanzaa ends on January 1st?

That Kwanzaa was established as a holiday in 1966?

That corn is the food of Kwanzaa?

That Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious holiday?

That the first Kwanzaa postage stamp was issued in 1997?

That President Bill Clinton was the first president to make a declaration about the celebration of Kwanzaa?

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Hanukkah signifies a miracle from the Jewish religion, when after reclaiming the Holy Temple of Jerusalem that had been conquered by the Assyrian Greeks, Jewish people found only one vial of oil, but that little amount of oil burned for eight days. 

DID YOU KNOW . . .

That Hanukkah is called “The Festival of Lights” or “The Feast of Dedication”?

That Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days?

That the candle holder used for Hanukkah is called a “menorah”?

That the largest menorah in the United States is at Grand Army Plaza in New York?

That Hanukkah originates from the Hebrew word hinuch meaning “to teach”?

The first president to celebrate Hanukkah at the White House was Harry Truman?

That there are 16 ways to spell Hanukkah?

That the potato pancakes eaten at Hanukkah are called “latkes”?

That the money often given as a Hanukkah gift is called “Hanukkah gelt”?

That the gold-wrapped chocolate coins, first produced in the 1920s, are called Hanukkah gelt, and that gelt means “money”?

That the shamash, meaning “helper,” is the first candle lit and is used to light the other candles?

That there are nine candles on the menorah, the shamash in the middle and eight others, one for each night of Hanukkah?

That a dreidel is a spinning top with Hebrew letters on the sides, and that the dreidel game is played during Hanukkah?

That the round jelly donuts eaten at Hanukkah are called “sufganiyot”?

That Hanukkah begins on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev, the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar, and that it does not always begin on the same day on our calendar?

 

Next Week Christmas Trivia Quiz….Happy Holidays from The Grammar Diva!