How to Play the Dreidel Game During Hanukkah

picture from evite.com

This year Hanukkah begins at sunset on December 20^th and ends at sunset on December 28^th. During Hanukkah the dreidel game is played as a tradition in Jewish homes around the world. The Hebrew letters on the four sides of a dreidel stand for the saying “Nes gadol haya sham,” or “A great miracle occurred there”.

These letters are nun, gimmel, hey and shin.

Each one means:

nun- nothing

gimmel- everything

hey – half

shin – “put in”

photo from canaan-online.com

Any number of people can play and the rules may vary from home to home, but this is how you play the basic dreidel game:

1. All players starts the game with 10-15 “pieces” which can be anything from gelt, raisins, nuts, matchsticks, pennies, or chocolates.

2. At the beginning of a round, each player puts one piece into the center “pot”.

3. The first player spins the dreidel and follows the directions on the side of the dreidel that lands up. If the dreidel side facing up is:

A. nun- The player takes nothing from the pot.

B. gimmel- The player takes everything from the pot.

C. hey – The player takes half of the pot.

D. shin – The player puts in one piece to the pot.

1. Players take turns going around the circle spinning the dreidel. If a player loses all of their pieces, they are either “out” or they can ask another player for a “loan”.

2. When one player wins all of the pieces the round is over!

If you do not own a dreidel, you can download a pattern for one here: http://bit.ly/rJV5Ia