Eggy is now kicking himself as I did back in ... well I forget exactly when it was but I was once guilty of the exact same faux pas.

For a chance to win this great token, answer the following questions(unknown photo)

1. Where does the New Year’s Day concept come from?
2. What New Year's practice is traditional in Scotland and Isle of Mann?
3. How is new year celebrated in Spain?

As always, please send answers to me by PM and don't post them here

The correct answers were;
1. What Christmas gift has been given to the people of London by the city of Oslo each year since 1947?
The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is a Christmas tree given to the people of London by the city of Oslo each year since 1947. The tree is prominently displayed in Trafalgar Square from the beginning of December until 6 January.
Although the tradition with an annual Trafalgar Square Christmas tree from Norway began in 1947, as a token of gratitude for British support to Norway during the Second World War, the very first Trafalgar Christmas tree from Norway appeared in 1942. A Norwegian commando, Mons Urangsvåg, had arrived in London shortly before Christmas with two spruce trees, felled during a raid on Stord, an island off the west coast of Norway between Bergen and Haugesund. One of the trees was intended as a gift to the Norwegian king, Haakon VII, who was in exile in Britain, but the other was erected in Trafalgar Square by a group of officers from British naval intelligence and a couple of Norwegian commandos after a dinner at the Savoy.

2. How tall was the largest christmas tree and where was it ?
The world's tallest cut Christmas tree was a 64.6 m (212 ft) Douglas fir (Pseudotsga menziesii) erected and decorated at Northgate Shopping Center, Seattle, Washington, USA, in December 1950. The mall had only opened in April 1950 so this was seen as a way to draw media attention and shoppers.
During transport, the branches were removed and later re-attached by high riggers once the tree was installed. In addition, since tall forest trees have a clean trunk for 20 m (65 ft) or so, branches were collected from several other trees and attached to the lower stem to fill out the crown.
Once completed, 3,600 lights were attached, which had to be powered by a dedicated electrical generator installed next to the tree.
The tree was cut on Mount Rainier, about 20 mi (32 km) outside of Seattle. It required a special escort on the highway during transportation to the shopping mall.

3. Which animal is traditionally associated with Christmas in Sweden and in which town does a large reproduction of this animal often receive a tragic fate?
Dating back to pagan times, the story of the Yule goat has morphed over the centuries, from a sacrifice to the god of harvest, to Saint Nicholas' symbol of control over evil in the 11th century. Later it was seen as the giver of gifts and today it's a traditional ornament in Scandinavian countries, where a straw goat is wrapped in red ribbon and used as a decoration (one you're certain to pick up from a Christmas market in Sweden).

However, this long yuletide history has now made way for a very special annual Christmas tradition: the Swedish town of Gävle's giant goat!
Every year an enormous goat is constructed in Slottstorget Castle Square in Gävle, Sweden, some 200 miles north-west of Stockholm. This gigantic version of the traditional straw Swedish Yule goat stands tall and proud in the square for the whole of the Christmas season, and on its record-breaking year, the gigantic straw goat statue measured a whopping 49ft!
Sadly most years vandals get to the Gävle goat and burn it down. Although illegal, it has become a Christmas tradition and a mark of pride if the goat is able to be destroyed.

Fortunately, the local fire station is just around the corner and the blaze can usually be put out before the goat’s skeleton is damaged, and the city rebuilds the yule goat in time for Christmas.
The Gävle goat has now been damaged or destroyed an astonishing 38 times. Despite this, it is able keep its global fan club updated throughout advent on X.
In order to prevent arson and the yule goat being destroyed, more elaborate security measures are added each year and now include a double fence, 24-hour CCTV and 24 guard patrol with a K9 unit!

Christmas 2025 - December 25, 2025
For a chance to win this great token, answer the following questions(unknown photo)

1. What Christmas gift has been given to the people of London by the city of Oslo each year since 1947?
2. How tall was the largest christmas tree and where was it?
3. Which animal is traditionally associated with Christmas in Sweden and in which town does a large reproduction of this animal often receive a tragic fate?

As always, please send answers to me by PM and don't post them here

Please note: I'm currently on Christmas vacation so may not respond to your message immediately, but don't worry I will get back to you when I can

Thanks everyone for playing

Here are the answers for those who are interested

1. When and where was the first annual "Turkey Trot" running race held?
The YMCA Buffalo Niagara Turkey Trot is an annual 8K (4.97 miles) Thanksgiving footrace held in Buffalo, New York each Thanksgiving Day. The Buffalo Turkey Trot, a popular fundraiser for the local branch of the YMCA, runs five miles down Delaware Avenue in Buffalo.

History
The race proclaims itself to be the oldest continually running public footrace in North America, having established itself in 1896 and run every year since, even during World War I, the 1918 flu pandemic, World War II, and the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Turkey_Trot

2. What did the balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade replace?
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The parade first took place in 1924. The balloons were introduced in 1927, replacing live zoo animals that were featured in the first parade. In 1928, Macy's switched from inflating the balloons with air to helium, making them float. 
14  Sarg's large animal-shaped balloons were produced by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio from the 1920s through to 1980.

3. How many feathers does an average turkey have?
An average adult turkey has between 5,000 and 6,000 feathers, although some sources estimate the number to be around 3,500 for domesticated turkeys. The exact number can vary depending on the turkey's age, sex, and overall health. Male turkeys (toms) generally have more feathers than females (hens) including 18 tail feathers that make up the male's distinct fan.

Last chance to enter this contest

Thanksgiving 2025 - November 27, 2025

Happy Thanksgiving to all celebrate

For a chance to win this great token, answer the following questions(unknown photo)

1. When and where was the first annual "Turkey Trot" running race held?
2. What did the balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade replace?
3. How many feathers does an average turkey have?

As always, please send answers to me by PM and don't post them here

Lookout for the Thanksgiving contest on 27th November

For those who didn't managed to find the correct answers, here they are;

1. Which actress made her film debut in Halloween (1978)?

Jamie Lee Curtis has been in seven Halloween movies: Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Halloween: Resurrection (2002), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), and Halloween Ends (2022). She played the iconic role of Laurie Strode, the protagonist in most of the films, and even had a cameo as a telephone operator in Halloween III: Season of the Witch.

2. Where does the Ghostbusters (1984) trio find their first ghost?

The Ghostbusters trio finds their first ghost at the New York Public Library. After receiving a report of a ghost, they investigate the library where they find evidence of paranormal activity, and a full-torso apparition is witnessed.
watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtRJBGyEIQQ

3. What ancient Celtic festival is Halloween said to originate from?

Samhain is a Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. It is also the Irish and Scottish Gaelic name for November. Celebrations begin on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along with Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasa.

Special bonfires were lit, which were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers. Like Bealtaine, Samhain was a threshold festival, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld blurred, making contact with the aos sí (the 'spirits' or 'fairies') more likely. The souls of dead kin were also thought to revisit their homes seeking hospitality, and a place was set at the table for them during a meal. Mumming and guising were part of the festival from at least the early modern era, whereby people went door-to-door in costume, reciting verses in exchange for food. The costumes may have been a way of imitating and disguising oneself from the aos sí.

apologies for posting the a little late

For a chance to win this great token, answer the following questions(unknown photo)

1. Which actress made her film debut in Halloween (1978)?
2. Where does the Ghostbusters (1984) trio find their first ghost?
3. What ancient Celtic festival is Halloween said to originate from?

As always, please send answers to me by PM and don't post them here

Here are the answers

1. Which "founding member" still regularly plays at GT? Hint their player# is less than 10 (excluding Games Administrator )
Answer: Chad. I think everyone got this one, he is player #6 and still plays a few games

2. What year was GoldToken founded?
Answer: As this is the "unofficial" anniversary I was looking for 1999, if you look at some of the founding members you will see them listed as joining 5 October 1999. But I also accepted the "official" start date of 1 January 2000


3. What is the "official" language of Goldtoken called? (Speak or write in GoldToken terminology)
Answer: GoldTokeneze

• You can find details of the terminology here GoldTokeneze

Any more entries as it will close soon?

It's this coming Monday in Canada, always is held on the second Monday in October

GoldToken Unofficial Anniversary 2025, October 5, 2025
For a chance to win this great token, answer the following questions(unknown photo)

1. Which "founding member" still regularly plays at GT? Hint their player# is less than 10 (excluding Games Administrator )

2. What year was GoldToken founded?

3. What is the "official" language of Goldtoken called? (Speak or write in GoldToken terminology)

As always, please send answers to me by PM and don't post them here

Thanks for providing these answers. Those of us who missed some probably are happy to see why.

In case you were wondering, here are the answers

1. Which 19th century woman is considered to be the first computer programmer and which computer did she program?
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (née Byron; 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852), also known as Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, his proposed mechanical general-purpose computer. She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation. Ada Lovelace is sometimes considered to be the first computer programmer.

2. What does the ancromyn for the BASIC programming language stand for?
Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code
The original version of BASIC was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College in 1964. They wanted to enable students in non-scientific fields to use computers.


3. Which programming language originally named "Oak" and later named after a type of coffee, was released by Sun Systems in 1996?
JAVA
James Gosling, Mike Sheridan, and Patrick Naughton initiated the Java language project in June 1991. Java was originally designed for interactive television, but it was too advanced for the digital cable television industry at the time. The language was initially called Oak after an oak tree that stood outside Gosling's office. Later the project went by the name Green and was finally renamed Java, from Java coffee, a type of coffee from Indonesia.
Sun Microsystems released the first public implementation as Java 1.0 in 1996.

Thanks

Here in the U.S. it's the fourth Thursday in November regardless of the date.

Thanks for letting us know when thanksgiving is. I was wondering. How is the date determined? Is it the same every year?

..for the next contest - coming soon!

Any more answers before the competition closes?

Hi Everyone
Welcome to my first competion on this board
Day of the Programmer in one September 13, 2025. So for your chance to win this token, answer the following questions.
(unknown photo)

1. Which 19th century woman is considered to be the first computer programmer and which computer did she program?

2. What does the ancromyn for the BASIC programming language stand for?

3. Which programming language originally named "Oak" and later named after a type of coffee, was released by Sun Systems in 1996?


Please send your answers direct to me by personal message

DO NOT post answer on this board

Get ready for the next contest coming in September