How Do You Play The Traditional Hanukkah Dreidel Game?
When you play the dreidel game, you put candy or some form of chocolate, etc. in the middle and then spin the dreidel. You either get to take candy out or put candy in depending on what the dreidel lands on.
- Nun (נ) – do nothing
- Gimel (ג) – take everything in the pot
- Hei (ה) – take half the pieces in the pot
- Shin (ש) or Pei (פ) – add game pieces to the pot
The traditional dreidel game is quite popular during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Many families who gather for this festive holiday include the game, usually as a children’s activity. Learn to recognize a dreidel – A dreidel is a top with four sides, it can be solid or hollow, and it can be made in many different sizes from almost any material. Like most tops, high quality dreidels tend to spin longer than lower quality dreidels. Some Jewish families even collect dreidels over many years and bring them out as a fun addition to Hanukkah parties. Choose a counter type – The game is played with small items of relatively equal size and shape, each counting as one unit. Items are usually individually wrapped pieces of candy, but can be anything, as long as you have enough of them. Counters may be edible (i.e. Hanukkah Gelt (chocolate coins frequently wrapped in gold foil), hard candy, gumballs, jelly beans, M&Ms, Hershey’s Kisses, Tootsie Rolls, Starbursts) or non-edible (i.e. dice, marb
