Hanukkah Dreidels

Information About Hanukkah Dreidels

Dreidels are one of the traditional ways to celebrate Hannukah - the festival of light. These wooden spinning tops are one of the beloved games for Hanukkah and can be played by everyone from young children to the oldest members of the family. This little spinning top has also been immortalized by the dreidel song: "Dreidel dreidel dreidel, I made you out of clay...."

On each side of the dreidel is a Hebrew letter that corresponds to the words "a great miracle happened there" -"nes gadol hayah sham". This is referring to the miracle of Hannukah where the small group Maccabees overcame the Greek army and succeeded in rededicating the Holy Temple and lighting the menorah. In Israel the letters on the dreidel are slightly different and stand for the sentence " A great miracle happened here" -"nes gadol hayah poh".

If you are wondering how to play dreidel here is everything you need to know. To play the dreidel game all you need is a dreidel and Hanukkah gelt - chocolate coins. Written below is the meaning for each letter on the dreidel and the rules for the dreidel game. To start the game you everyone receives about ten pieces of Hanukkah gelt, and each person puts one into a pile in the center of the table. Now everyone takes turns to spin the dreidel.

נ The Hebrew letter Nun stands for the word 'ness' - miracle. In the game when you land on a nun you get nothing.

ג The Hebrew letter Gimel stands for the word 'gadol' - great. When you spin the dreidel and get a gimel you get everything in the middle. 

ה The Hebrew letter Hey stands for the word 'hayah' - was. If the dreidel lands on a hey you get to take half of everything in the middle.

ש The Hebrew letter Shin stands for the word 'sham' - there. When the dreidel lands on a shin the player puts one piece of into the centre pile. In Israel the letter Peh פ is used instead of the letter Shin.  

At jJudaica we have a beautiful range of hand painted wooden dreidels made by Israeli artist Yair Emanuel. These hand painted wooden dreidels feature a variety of designs from scenes of Jerusalem, to a bride and groom and Noahs ark; there is a dreidel to suit every taste. The dreidels can be used to play the dreidel game or to use as a decoration and each dreidel comes with a matching hand painted wooden stand.

Have fun with the whole family as you celebrate Hanukkah and play the dreidel game!