 - 1. What calendar does Afghanistan use as its official calendar for the New Year?
A) Gregorian Calendar
B) Julian Calendar
C) Solar Hijri Calendar
D) Lunar Hijri Calendar
- 2. What is the principal festival for Nowruz in Afghanistan?
A) Gul-i-Surkh
B) Jahenda Bala
C) Derafsh Kaviani
D) Dehqan
- 3. In which city is the Gul-i-Surkh festival primarily celebrated?
A) Charikar
B) Mazar-i-Sharif
C) Istalif
D) Kabul
- 4. How long does the Gul-i-Surkh festival last?
A) 14 days
B) 40 days
C) 7 days
D) 30 days
- 5. What flower grows in the plains and hills of Mazar-i-Sharif during the festival?
A) Poppy
B) Red tulip
C) Redbud
D) Rose
- 6. What traditional sport is played during the Gul-i-Surkh festival?
A) Buzkashi
B) Wrestling
C) Cricket
D) Football
- 7. What is the meaning of the Dari term 'Gul-i-Surkh'?
A) Red flower
B) Green plain
C) Rising banner
D) New Year
- 8. What is the religious ceremony performed at the Blue Mosque called?
A) Dehqan
B) Gul-i-Surkh
C) Nowruz
D) Jahenda Bala
- 9. When is Jahenda Bala celebrated?
A) During the final week of the 40 days
B) Last day of the festival
C) Mid-spring
D) First day of the New Year
- 10. The special banner raised during Jahenda Bala resembles which historical standard?
A) The royal seal of Mazar
B) Derafsh Kaviani
C) The National flag of Afghanistan
D) The Taliban flag
- 11. Approximately how many people attend the Jahenda Bala gathering?
A) Up to 50,000
B) Up to 1,000,000
C) Up to 10,000
D) Up to 200,000
- 12. Which government official is specifically mentioned as attending Jahenda Bala?
A) Chief Justice
B) Head of Police
C) Vice-President
D) Prime Minister
- 13. What is the festival of Dehqan?
A) A religious pilgrimage
B) A military parade
C) A food festival
D) A farmer festival
- 14. Who walks in the cities during the Dehqan festival?
A) Soldiers
B) Farmers
C) Religious leaders
D) Children
- 15. What is the purpose of the Dehqan festival?
A) To celebrate the royal history
B) To honor the military
C) Encouragement for agricultural production
D) To welcome the spring rains
- 16. In which city is the Dehqan festival walk typically held in recent years?
A) Charikar
B) Istalif
C) Mazar-i-Sharif
D) Kabul
- 17. What activity do Kabul citizens engage in during the first two weeks of the New Year?
A) Family picnics
B) Banner raising
C) Horse racing
D) Flower harvesting
- 18. Which location is mentioned as a place for family picnics in Kabul?
A) The parliament building
B) The desert
C) Istalif
D) Blue Mosque
- 19. What type of tree grows in the picnic areas around Kabul?
A) Redbud
B) Oak
C) Pine
D) Tulip
- 20. Why did the Taliban ban Nowruz during the 1996–2001 regime?
A) Because it was a foreign celebration
B) As an ancient pagan holiday
C) Because it caused traffic
D) Because it was too expensive
- 21. What did the Taliban say about Nowruz in March 2022?
A) It was completely banned
B) It was limited to three days
C) It would not be a public holiday
D) It was now the official state holiday
- 22. Were celebrations of Nowruz allowed in 2022 by the Taliban?
A) Yes
B) No
C) Only for government officials
D) Only indoors
- 23. Is the word Nowruz explicitly recorded in Achaemenid inscriptions?
A) No
B) Only in some of them
C) Yes
D) Yes, but only in late inscriptions
- 24. Which historical figure provided a detailed account of a Nowruz celebration in Persepolis?
A) Xenophon
B) Cyrus the Great
C) Darius the Great
D) Cambyses II
- 25. What did kings of the different Achaemenid nations bring to the King of Kings during Nowruz?
A) Tribute in the form of soldiers
B) Official reports
C) Gifts
D) Land deeds
- 26. Where did the Nowruz celebration described by Xenophon take place?
A) Persepolis
B) Babylon
C) Susa
D) Pasargadae
- 27. What does the term 'Chaharshanbe Suri' literally mean?
A) Spring Celebration
B) Festive Wednesday
C) New Year's Eve
D) Fire Festival
- 28. Which of these activities is associated with the celebration of Chaharshanbe Suri in Iran?
A) Jumping over bonfires
B) Planting trees
C) Visiting religious temples
D) Fasting all day
- 29. In Azerbaijan, how long before the Novruz holiday does the preparation usually begin?
A) Two weeks
B) Three days
C) A month
D) A week
- 30. How many weeks before the holiday is the festival held in Azerbaijan?
A) Six weeks
B) Eight weeks
C) Two weeks
D) Four weeks
- 31. Which of the following is NOT one of the four elements celebrated on the Tuesdays leading up to Novruz in Azerbaijan?
A) Wind
B) Water
C) Metal
D) Fire
- 32. What food items are served during the Chaharshanbe Suri celebration?
A) Honey and cakes
B) Bread and cheese
C) Rice and fish
D) Trail mix and berries
- 33. What is the tradition of 'qāšoq zani' compared to in Western culture?
A) Trick-or-treating
B) Easter egg hunting
C) Christmas caroling
D) Thanksgiving dinner
- 34. How do people in Iran practice spoon banging?
A) Throwing candies at neighbors
B) Wearing disguises and banging spoons against plates
C) Banging on windows with sticks
D) Singing songs at the fire
- 35. What do Azerbaijani children leave on the thresholds of their neighbors during the tradition?
A) Shoes and ribbons
B) Candles and coins
C) Caps or little baskets
D) Flowers and letters
- 36. In Armenia, the ritual of jumping over fire is found in which feast?
A) Mehregan
B) Yalda
C) Trndez
D) Nowruz
- 37. The feast of Trndez is associated with which concept in the Armenian Apostolic Church?
A) Harvesting
B) Purification
C) Prosperity
D) Penance
- 38. In which country is Nowruz the first day of the Solar Hijri algorithmic calendar?
A) Iraq
B) Iran
C) Afghanistan
D) Turkey
- 39. What is the primary factor that makes the Solar Hijri calendar more accurate than the Gregorian calendar?
A) Sophisticated intercalation system
B) Use of lunar phases
C) Shorter yearly cycle
D) Simpler leap year rule
- 40. How many years are in a great grand cycle of the Solar Hijri calendar?
A) 365
B) 1000
C) 400
D) 2820
- 41. How many leap years are contained within a 2820-year great grand cycle?
A) 500
B) 2137
C) 683
D) 700
- 42. How many normal years of 365 days are in a 2820-year great grand cycle?
A) 683
B) 2000
C) 2137
D) 1500
- 43. What is the average year length in days of the Solar Hijri great grand cycle?
A) 365.24219852
B) 365.25
C) 365.24219878
D) 365.242362
- 44. What is the first day of the Solar Hijri year called?
A) Tir
B) Nowruz
C) Mehr
D) Farvardin
- 45. Which religion is considered the roots of Nowruz?
A) Judaism
B) Islam
C) Zoroastrianism
D) Buddhism
- 46. Nowruz is considered a holy day for which of these groups?
A) Sikhs
B) Hindus
C) Baháʼís
D) Christians
- 47. Who reformed the Iranian calendar in the 11th century AD?
A) Cyrus the Great
B) Omar Khayyam
C) Avicenna
D) Tusi
- 48. When did the United Nations officially recognize the 'International Day of Nowruz'?
A) January 2005
B) February 2015
C) February 2010
D) March 2011
- 49. Which of these is an example of a custom practiced during Nowruz?
A) Building sandcastles
B) Fasting for a week
C) Silent meditation
D) Poetry recitations
- 50. What is the Classical Persian vocalization of the word Nowruz?
A) Nawrōz
B) Now-ruz
C) Nōgrōz
D) Nav-roz
- 51. Which regions are mentioned as places where Nowruz is celebrated?
A) South America
B) Australia
C) The Balkans
D) Northern Europe
- 52. What is the name of the ceremony held on the thirteenth day of the New Year?
A) Farvardigan
B) Sizdah Bedar
C) Haft-sin
D) Gahambar
- 53. According to the Shahnameh, who is credited with the foundation of Nowruz?
A) King Jamshid
B) Biruni
C) Zoroaster
D) Mithra
- 54. What did King Jamshid construct to defeat the killer winter?
A) A massive gate
B) A golden chariot
C) A palace of stone
D) A throne studded with gems
- 55. Which ancient Babylonian festival falls during the same month as Nowruz?
A) Akitu
B) Gahambar
C) Navasarda
D) Farvardigan
- 56. According to Mary Boyce, who may have founded Nowruz?
A) King Jamshid
B) Zoroaster
C) Biruni
D) Gardizi
- 57. How many important Zoroastrian festivals are there?
A) Twelve
B) Six
C) Seven
D) Thirteen
- 58. What is the modern name of the festival once known as Hamaspathmaedaya?
A) Farvardigan
B) Navasarda
C) Sizdah Bedar
D) Mithraism
- 59. Which festival is the autumnal equinox?
A) Nowruz
B) Sadeh
C) Tirgan
D) Mehregan
- 60. In what year did the Jews come under Iranian rule?
A) 539 BC
B) 51 AD
C) 224 AD
D) 1000 BC
- 61. According to the text, which Jewish holiday might be an adoption of the Iranian New Year?
A) Rosh Hashanah
B) Purim
C) Yom Kippur
D) Passover
- 62. When does Nowruz occur?
A) On the 14th of Adar
B) At the autumn equinox
C) At the spring equinox
D) On the first new moon of spring
- 63. What is the date of the Lunar new year of the Middle East?
A) 1 Nisan
B) 21 March
C) 14 Adar
D) 1 Farvardin
- 64. Who wrote the Shahnameh?
A) Darius III
B) Alexander the Great
C) Ferdowsi
D) Ardashir I
- 65. In the Shahnameh, who does Darius III ask Alexander to wed?
A) The Queen of Persia
B) Esther
C) A Zoroastrian priestess
D) Roxana
- 66. Who was the founder of the Sasanian Empire?
A) Darius III
B) Alexander the Great
C) Vologases I
D) Ardashir I
- 67. Which empire celebrated Nowruz as the most important day of the year?
A) Sasanian Empire
B) Roman Empire
C) Arsacid Empire
D) Parthian Empire
- 68. The Parthians celebrated the first of Farvardin at what time?
A) Spring equinox
B) Summer solstice
C) Autumn equinox
D) Winter solstice
- 69. Which other celebration survived the Muslim conquest of Persia alongside Nowruz?
A) Mawlid
B) Mehrgan
C) Sadeh
D) Gahambars
- 70. During which historical period did Nowruz become the main royal holiday?
A) Seljuk era
B) Abbasid period
C) Sasanian period
D) Soviet era
- 71. Who offered gifts to caliphs and local rulers during Nowruz in the Abbasid period?
A) Court astronomers
B) Mongol invaders
C) Maliki jurists
D) Dehqans
- 72. Which dynasty revived ancient Sassanian traditions and smaller celebrations?
A) Buyids
B) Seljuks
C) Abbasids
D) Samanids
- 73. Who would kiss the ground and congratulate the Buyid king on the New Year?
A) The Maliki jurist
B) The Dehqan
C) The local governor
D) The court astronomer
- 74. Which group opposed the celebration of Iranian traditions in Al-Andalus?
A) Samanid nobility
B) Buyid astronomers
C) Seljuk scholars
D) Maliki jurists
- 75. What festival did jurists encourage Andalusians to celebrate instead of Nowruz from the 12th century?
A) Mawlid
B) Mehrgan
C) Sadeh
D) Gahambars
- 76. How many people were arrested by the Iranian government for anti-government chants at Nowruz in 2025?
A) 8
B) 50
C) 12
D) 100
- 77. What was the reason many people could not afford basic haft-sin during the 2025 Iranian Nowruz?
A) Religious opposition
B) Economic crisis
C) Government ban
D) Shift to Mawlid
- 78. What is the common term for the major spring cleaning performed before Nowruz?
A) Boloni
B) Haft-sin
C) Xane tekani
D) Ameshasepantas
- 79. What is a main ingredient used to prepare the Nowruz food called Samanu?
A) Barley sprouts
B) Dried lentils
C) Germinated wheat
D) Crushed chickpeas
- 80. What is the name of the jug used in the fortune-telling ritual?
A) Samanu
B) Zend-Avesta
C) Boloni
D) Haft-sin
- 81. What does the 'Sabze' item on the Haft-sin table consist of?
A) Sprouts
B) Dried fruits
C) Painted eggs
D) Sweet pudding
- 82. What is the English name for the 'sir' item on the Haft-sin table?
A) Garlic
B) Ginger
C) Onion
D) Pepper
- 83. How long is the practice of Haft-sin believed to have been popularized?
A) Past 100 years
B) Past 10 years
C) Past 1000 years
D) Past 50 years
- 84. What is the name of the sweet pudding made from germinated wheat?
A) Samanu
B) Sabzi polo
C) Nan-e Nokhodchi
D) Serke
- 85. Which of the following is included in the Haft-sin table alongside traditional food items?
A) A telephone
B) A television
C) A computer
D) Goldfish
- 86. During the cooking of Samanu, what do women and girls often do in certain countries?
A) Sing memorable songs
B) Paint the walls
C) Dance in silence
D) Read the news
- 87. In which country is Haft-mewa prepared for Nowruz?
A) Azerbaijan
B) Turkey
C) Iran
D) Afghanistan
- 88. What is the traditional Nowruz display in Azerbaijan called?
A) Haft-mewa
B) Khoncha
C) Samani
D) Amu Nowruz
- 89. Who is the wife of Amu Nowruz?
A) Nane Sarma
B) Haji Firuz
C) Samani
D) The lady of the house
- 90. What does Haji Firuz use to play music while dancing?
A) A flute
B) A tambourine
C) A violin
D) A drum
- 91. Which of the following is an example of an ingredient in Haft-mewa?
A) Soot
B) Linen
C) Wheat
D) Pistachios
- 92. What does Kosa symbolize in Azerbaijani Nowruz traditions?
A) Summer
B) Spring
C) Winter
D) Autumn
- 93. What does the name Kechal literally mean in Azerbaijani?
A) Bald-head
B) Funny-man
C) Fat-man
D) Spring-spirit
- 94. What is the traditional Azerbaijani game played by Kosa and Kechal?
A) Kampirak
B) Nauryz kozhe
C) Kos-kosa
D) Nowruz Resolution
- 95. In Afghan folklore, who passes from village to village distributing charity?
A) Kampirak
B) Kechal
C) The Parsi elders
D) Kosa
- 96. What traditional drink do Kazakhs prepare for the new year?
A) Kos-kosa
B) Spring water
C) Kampirak tea
D) Nauryz kozhe
- 97. Where is the Persian New Year Festival held in the United States?
A) Cologne
B) Phoenix
C) Toronto
D) London
- 98. What does Kechal symbolize in the Azerbaijani tradition?
A) Autumn
B) Summer
C) Winter
D) Death
- 99. How many votes did the Nowruz Resolution receive in the US House of Representatives?
A) 300-100
B) 150-15
C) 267-0
D) 384-2
- 100. Which of these is NOT a location mentioned where Nowruz is celebrated by Iranian communities?
A) Bamyan
B) Toronto
C) Cologne
D) London
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