Speaking of summer, fireworks! Kid-friendly trivia quizzes and fun facts about fireworks

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.

Fireworks, the fun events that color the summer night sky.

The history of fireworks is very old and is said to have begun in China.

Here, we’ll introduce trivia quizzes and fun facts for kids that will help you enjoy fireworks even more once you learn about their history! Through quizzes and questions about fireworks, you can learn all sorts of history.

We hope both children and adults enjoy them together.

There are actually many things that even adults don’t know.

You’ll surely be surprised to learn that fireworks have such a long history.

Speaking of summer, fireworks! Kid-friendly trivia quiz and fun facts about fireworks (1–10)

When was the first fireworks festival held in Japan?

the year 1733
the year 1877
the year 1945

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the year 1733

The first fireworks festival held in Japan is still one of the country’s famous festivals today. It began with the “Ryogoku River Opening” on the Sumida River during the Edo period in 1733. It is said to have been held to console those who died from epidemics and famine.

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Who was the shogun of the Edo shogunate when Japan’s first fireworks festival, the Sumida River Fireworks Festival, was held?

Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Yoshimune
Tokugawa Yoshinobu

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Tokugawa Yoshimune

The Sumida River Fireworks Festival is considered Japan’s first fireworks display. At the time, it was known as the Ryogoku Kawabiraki. Its origins date back to 1733, when the 8th shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, held the event.

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What kind of meaning is contained in sparklers (senko hanabi)?

Family happiness
The transience of life
A wish to become rich

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The transience of life

It is said that the quietly scattering tiny sparks of senko-hanabi (Japanese sparkler fireworks) symbolize the fragility of life and fleeting moments of existence. For this reason, they are also considered fireworks that evoke the preciousness of human life and time.

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Speaking of summer, it’s all about fireworks! Kid-friendly trivia quiz and fun facts about fireworks (11–20)

Among the fireworks sold at convenience stores and supermarkets, which ones actually exist?

sparkler
Aerial fireworks
underwater fireworks

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sparkler

Senko hanabi are small fireworks for home use, and because they’re safe to play with, they’re often sold at convenience stores and supermarkets. Aerial fireworks and underwater fireworks are not generally sold.

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When a fireworks display reaches its climax, more and more shells are launched to create a powerful spectacle. What do you call launching fireworks in rapid succession?

Starmine
Finale
bonfire

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Starmine

A powerful display created by launching fireworks in rapid succession is called a “starmine.” The name comes from the way numerous fireworks are fired one after another so that it looks as if stars are shining in the sky.

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Which country was the first to turn gunpowder—originally used merely as signal beacons—into entertainment by viewing it as beautiful fireworks?

Japan
China
United Kingdom

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China

Gunpowder was invented in China and was first used as smoke signals (“noroshi”) for battles and signaling. Eventually, people in China began to enjoy it as beautiful fireworks, which marked the beginning of its use in this way.

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Senko hanabi are different from ordinary handheld fireworks and have an interesting characteristic. What is it?

Sparks dangle downward and crackle as they burst.
The color of the fireworks changes to rainbow.
A loud noise sounds.

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Sparks dangle downward and crackle as they burst.

A sparker firework (senko hanabi) has a small ball of gunpowder that burns slowly, drooping downward while emitting cute crackling sounds and tiny sparks. It doesn’t make loud noises or show flashy color changes, but its quiet, delicate sparks are the defining feature of senko hanabi.

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