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Carnival traditions quiz

12 questions on European carnival traditions for the 2027 window, Thursday 4 to Tuesday 9 February (Shrove Tuesday is 9 February 2027, 47 days before Easter on 28 March): Cologne, Venice, Basel, Binche, Cádiz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, plus one trick question on Notting Hill. Basel's Fasnacht starts on 15 February 2027, just outside the window. One question at a time, the explanation and a source link after each answer, and your score at the end. For adults (18+). Free, no account. Works offline once loaded.

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How it works

  1. Read the question and tap one of four answers.
  2. You see at once whether you were right, with the explanation and a link to the source.
  3. After 12 questions you get your score and a result to copy and share. To play in a group, read the questions below aloud and open the answers when everyone has decided.

Facts were checked against the linked sources. Nothing leaves your device.

Spending carnival away from home?

Come Alone lists events you can join on your own, and the Meet & Mint app shows events and people near you on one map.

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Sources

All 12 questions

  1. 1. On which date is Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras, Cologne's Veilchendienstag) in 2027?

    1. 2 February 2027
    2. 9 February 2027
    3. 16 February 2027
    4. 28 March 2027
    Show answer

    B. 9 February 2027

    Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March, and Shrove Tuesday is 47 days earlier: 9 February. Cologne Tourism's 2027 calendar agrees: Violet Tuesday 9 February, Ash Wednesday 10 February.

    Source: https://www.cologne-tourism.com/carnival

  2. 2. Cologne's street carnival starts at 11:11 a.m. on Weiberfastnacht, the Women's Carnival. On which day of the week, and when in 2027?

    1. Friday 5 February
    2. Saturday 6 February
    3. Thursday 4 February
    4. Monday 8 February
    Show answer

    C. Thursday 4 February

    Cologne Tourism says the street carnival starts in the Alter Markt at 11:11 a.m. on Thursday, and gives Weiberfastnacht 2027 as 4 February, the first day of this quiz's carnival window.

    Source: https://www.cologne-tourism.com/carnival

  3. 3. On which date is Rosenmontag (Rose Monday), the climax of Cologne's carnival with its big parade, in 2027?

    1. 8 February 2027
    2. 7 February 2027
    3. 9 February 2027
    4. 1 February 2027
    Show answer

    A. 8 February 2027

    Cologne Tourism gives Rose Monday 2027 as 8 February and calls it the climax of carnival. It says the parade has run since 1823. The day before Shrove Tuesday, it falls inside the 4 to 9 February window.

    Source: https://www.cologne-tourism.com/carnival

  4. 4. In Cologne, what is the Nubbel that is burned on the night from Violet Tuesday to Ash Wednesday?

    1. A giant sardine
    2. A wooden mask
    3. A parade float
    4. A straw-filled doll
    Show answer

    D. A straw-filled doll

    Cologne Tourism describes the Nubbel as a straw-filled doll that serves as the scapegoat for the season's excesses, burned in torchlight processions. The burned sardine belongs to Tenerife.

    Source: https://www.cologne-tourism.com/carnival

  5. 5. Which Venetian carnival mask is an oval black velvet mask, originally reserved for women, held in place by a button the wearer bites?

    1. Bauta
    2. Gille
    3. Moretta
    4. Chirigota
    Show answer

    C. Moretta

    The official Carnevale di Venezia site describes the moretta as an oval black velvet mask with no straps, kept on by a small button held between the teeth, which left the wearer silent.

    Source: https://www.carnevale.venezia.it/en/masks-and-costumes/

  6. 6. Which Venetian mask was plain and undecorated, often worn with a large black cloak called the tabarro, so the wearer could attend parties unidentified?

    1. Moretta
    2. Bauta
    3. Gille
    4. Nubbel
    Show answer

    B. Bauta

    The official Carnevale di Venezia site calls the bauta probably the most famous mask of the Carnival: plain, undecorated, and worn with the tabarro.

    Source: https://www.carnevale.venezia.it/en/masks-and-costumes/

  7. 7. At what time does Basel's Fasnacht begin with the Morgestraich, when the city's lights are switched off?

    1. 4:00 a.m.
    2. 11:11 a.m.
    3. Midnight
    4. 8:00 p.m.
    Show answer

    A. 4:00 a.m.

    swissinfo reports that the parade begins at 4 a.m. on the Monday after Ash Wednesday, with the city lights off and the cliques playing in darkness, each with an illuminated lantern. UNESCO listed the Basel carnival in December 2017.

    Source: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/cultural-heritage_basel-s-fasnacht-honoured/43757216

  8. 8. Basel's Fasnacht begins on the Monday after Ash Wednesday. In 2027, when does it start, and does it fall in the 4 to 9 February window?

    1. 8 February, inside the window
    2. 15 February, after the window
    3. 9 February, inside the window
    4. 15 March, a month later
    Show answer

    B. 15 February, after the window

    Ash Wednesday 2027 is 10 February, so the next Monday is 15 February. MySwitzerland lists Basel Fasnacht as 15 to 17 February 2027, so it starts six days after Shrove Tuesday and falls outside the window.

    Source: https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/events/carnival-in-basel/

  9. 9. In which Belgian town do the Gilles, in ostrich-feather hats, wooden clogs and bells, appear on Mardi Gras in a carnival on UNESCO's Representative List?

    1. Bruges
    2. Namur
    3. Ghent
    4. Binche
    Show answer

    D. Binche

    UNESCO says several hundred Gilles parade in Binche in red, yellow and black costumes with ostrich-feather hats, wooden clogs and bells, culminating on Mardi Gras. It was proclaimed in 2003 and inscribed on the Representative List in 2008.

    Source: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/carnival-of-binche-00033

  10. 10. In the Cádiz Carnival's competition at the Gran Teatro Falla, which type of group is described as the most amusing, using satire, double meanings and cuplé songs?

    1. Chirigotas
    2. Coros
    3. Gilles
    4. Bautas
    Show answer

    A. Chirigotas

    Andalucía.org lists four group types (coros, comparsas, chirigotas, cuartetos) and calls the chirigotas the most amusing, with satire and double meanings. Coros are the largest, at about 45 members.

    Source: https://en.andalucia.org/events/cadiz-carnival/group-competition/

  11. 11. At the end of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival, widows mourn the burial and burning of a sardine. Whom does it symbolise?

    1. Saint Anthony
    2. Lent
    3. Don Carnal
    4. The carnival queen
    Show answer

    C. Don Carnal

    Tenerife's tourism site says the Entierro de la Sardina marks the end of the Carnival season: mourners dressed as widows mark the symbolic death of Don Carnal, shown as a sardine on a float that is burned. The sardine links to the city's fishing tradition.

    Source: https://www.webtenerife.co.uk/events/entierro-de-la-sardina-carnaval-santa-cruz-de-tenerife-2023/

  12. 12. Trick question: in which month is London's Notting Hill Carnival held?

    1. February
    2. August
    3. March
    4. November
    Show answer

    B. August

    It is not a pre-Lent carnival. The official FAQ says it takes place on the Sunday and Monday of the August Bank Holiday weekend. GOV.UK lists the 2027 bank holiday as Monday 30 August.

    Source: https://nhcarnival.org/faqs

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