64 Hanukkah Trivia Questions with Answers
64 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Hanukkah trivia explores the history, traditions, texts, and symbols of the Jewish Festival of Lights. Questions may cover the Maccabean revolt, the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple, the menorah, public candle-lightings, and biblical or deuterocanonical sources. It can range from religious history to customs observed in Jewish communities today.
Expect questions such as which chapter of John mentions the Feast of Dedication, which brother succeeded Judas Maccabeus, and when Jerusalem’s Temple was rededicated according to 1 Maccabees. This collection suits family game nights, holiday gatherings, pub quizzes, and classroom lessons on ancient Jewish history. It is especially useful for players who enjoy connecting religious texts, historical events, and familiar Hanukkah practices.
In which battle was Judas Maccabeus killed?
Answer
Battle of Elasa
Which writer’s history was abridged to form 2 Maccabees?
Answer
Jason of Cyrene
Which movement is strongly associated with public Hanukkah menorah lightings?
Answer
Chabad-Lubavitch
What scroll about Hanukkah is read in some synagogues?
Answer
Megillat Antiochus
Which brother of Judas Maccabeus succeeded him as leader of the revolt?
Answer
Jonathan Apphus
Which North American decoration is a Hanukkah analogue of a Christmas tree?
Answer
Hanukkah bush
Which language was 1 Maccabees originally written in?
Answer
Hebrew
What Hebrew song is chanted after the Hanukkah lighting blessings?
Answer
Hanerot Halalu
By what English nickname is Hanukkah widely known?
Answer
Festival of Lights
Which Hasmonean ruler was the last surviving son of Mattathias?
Answer
Simon Thassi
Which Jewish legal code includes the laws of Hanukkah in Orach Chayim?
Answer
Shulchan Aruch
Which book includes the story of the martyrdom of the woman with seven sons?
Answer
2 Maccabees
What does the name Maccabee traditionally mean?
Answer
Hammer
What is the name of the father of Judah Maccabee?
Answer
Mattathias
Which family dynasty arose from the Maccabean revolt?
Answer
Hasmonean dynasty
Which ancient empire did the Maccabees rebel against in the Hanukkah story?
Answer
Seleucid Empire
Which Hebrew month immediately follows Kislev?
Answer
Tevet
Which haftarah book is read on the Shabbat of Hanukkah?
Answer
Zechariah
Which biblical heroine is sometimes linked to Hanukkah?
Answer
Judith
What oil is traditionally associated with the Hanukkah miracle?
Answer
olive oil
In Israel, what phrase is formed by the letters on a dreidel?
Answer
Nes Gadol Hayah Po
On what day of the Hebrew month Kislev does Hanukkah begin?
Answer
25 Kislev
What is the name of the ninth candle on a Hanukkah menorah?
Answer
shamash
Which Jewish denomination does not observe Hanukkah?
Answer
Karaite Judaism
In what year did the Maccabean revolt begin?
Answer
167 BCE
Hanukkah trivia — quick answers
What are good Hanukkah trivia questions?
Good Hanukkah trivia questions cover the Maccabean revolt, the Temple’s rededication, the meaning of the eight nights, the hanukkiah, traditional foods, songs, and references to Hanukkah in Jewish and Christian texts. A balanced quiz can mix history, religion, vocabulary, and modern customs so that both casual players and knowledgeable participants can contribute.
How hard is Hanukkah trivia?
Hanukkah trivia can be easy, medium, or advanced. Beginner questions may ask about the number of nights or the candle-lighting tradition. Harder questions may involve 1 and 2 Maccabees, the Hasmonean leadership, the Feast of Dedication in John, or the historical sequence of the revolt and Temple rededication.
What is the Feast of Dedication in the Gospel of John?
The Feast of Dedication is mentioned in John 10:22. It refers to the Jewish festival now commonly called Hanukkah, which commemorates the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple after its recovery from forces associated with Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The passage places Jesus in Jerusalem during the festival.
Who succeeded Judas Maccabeus as leader of the revolt?
Jonathan Apphus, one of Judas Maccabeus’s brothers, succeeded Judas as leader after Judas was killed in battle. Jonathan continued the Hasmonean struggle and later became both a political and religious leader. Another brother, Simon Thassi, eventually succeeded Jonathan and helped establish Hasmonean rule.
How many sons of Mattathias are named in 1 Maccabees?
Five sons of Mattathias are named in 1 Maccabees: John, Simon, Judas, Eleazar, and Jonathan. Mattathias began the revolt against the Seleucid authorities, and his sons continued it after his death. Judas became known as Maccabeus, while the family’s leadership passed among several brothers.