1. On which date is New Year’s Day celebrated in countries following the Gregorian calendar?

2. Which city’s midnight fireworks display, launched from its famous harbour bridge, is traditionally one of the first major New Year celebrations broadcast around the world each year?

3. In Scotland, New Year’s Eve is traditionally known by what Scots name?

4. What is the name of the two-faced Roman god of beginnings and transitions, after whom the month of January is named?

5. The Persian New Year, celebrated at the spring equinox in late March, is known by what name?

6. In which country is Tet the most important annual celebration , a lunar new year festival typically falling in January or February?

7. The Jewish New Year, observed in autumn for two days, is known by what Hebrew name?

8. In which South American country do millions of people gather on beaches at midnight dressed in white, leaving offerings for the sea goddess Iemanjá as a New Year blessing?

9. Which Roman ruler introduced the calendar reform in 46 BC that established January 1st as the start of the new year?

10. The words of “Auld Lang Syne”, sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve around the world, were adapted from a poem by which Scottish poet?

11. In which year did the world celebrate the turn of a new millennium, with fireworks at midnight on 31st December 1999?

12. What name was given to the feared computer bug many believed would cause global digital systems to fail at the stroke of midnight on 1st January 2000?

13. The Gregorian calendar, now used in most of the world, was introduced in the 1580s. In which century did this take place?

14. Which London landmark, opened in 2000, hosted its first major televised New Year’s fireworks display that same year and quickly became synonymous with the British New Year?

15. The earliest recorded New Year celebrations took place around 4,000 years ago, during a spring festival called Akitu. Which ancient civilisation held this festival?

16. In which decade did the first New Year’s Eve ball drop take place in Times Square, New York City, beginning a tradition that continues today?

17. What personal commitment, usually aimed at self-improvement, do millions of people traditionally make at the start of a new year?

18. In Spain and parts of Latin America, people eat twelve of which fruit at midnight on New Year’s Eve , one for each chime of the clock , to bring good luck for the months ahead?

19. In Scotland, the tradition of being the first to cross a friend or neighbour’s threshold after midnight, bringing symbolic gifts, is known by what name?

20. What drink is most traditionally used to toast the New Year at midnight in many Western countries?

21. In Denmark, it is customary to smash old plates and crockery against the front doors of friends and family on New Year’s Eve. What does a large pile of broken crockery on your doorstep traditionally symbolise?

22. In which specific location in New York City do large crowds traditionally gather on New Year’s Eve to watch the midnight ball drop?

23. In the Philippines, many people wear clothing decorated with what shape on New Year’s Eve, believed to attract money and good fortune in the coming year?

24. In parts of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, molten lead or tin is poured into cold water and the shapes it forms are interpreted as predictions for the year ahead. What is this fortune-telling practice generally called?

25. Which Swedish pop group recorded the song “Happy New Year” in 1980, featuring lyrics reflecting on hopes and dreams for the coming year?

26. Which Irish rock band released “New Year’s Day” as a single in January 1983, reaching number one in several countries?

27. “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” is a popular standard played throughout December. Which American songwriter, also known for “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, wrote it in 1947?

28. Which British music programme, hosted by Jools Holland and featuring live performances across midnight, has been an annual BBC New Year’s Eve tradition since the mid-1990s?

29. Prince released a song in 1982 describing a party held on the eve of the year named in its title. It became one of the most played New Year songs of all time. What is it called?

30. “Ring out the old, ring in the new” is a famous line from a poem by which Victorian poet laureate, published in 1850 as part of his longer work “In Memoriam A.H.H.”?

31. Which American television personality hosted the long-running New Year’s Eve countdown show “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC for more than three decades until his death in 2012?

32. Helen Fielding’s novel “Bridget Jones’s Diary”, and its 2001 film adaptation, famously opens with its heroine making diary resolutions on which date?

33. How many standard time zones does Earth have, meaning different countries welcome the New Year at different times?

34. Which small Pacific island nation, located just to the west of the International Date Line, is generally considered the first inhabited place to welcome each new year?

35. Approximately how many glasses of champagne are consumed worldwide on New Year’s Eve , closer to 36 million, 360 million, or 360 billion?

36. “Bonne Année” is how French speakers wish each other a happy new year. Which neighbouring language uses the phrase “Gelukkig Nieuwjaar”?

37. New Year’s Eve falls approximately how many days after the winter solstice , the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere?

38. The famous Tournament of Roses Parade, held each New Year’s Day along a route through the city of Pasadena, takes place in which American state?

39. Approximately how many people typically gather in Times Square, New York, to watch the New Year’s Eve ball drop in person , around 58,000, 580,000, or over a million?

40. According to Scottish tradition, a “lucky” first-footer is ideally tall, dark-haired and male, and should bring symbolic gifts including coal, shortbread, salt, black bun and which Scottish spirit?