I Have a Little Dreidel
from MMF! Songbook

History
I Have a Little Dreidel, or Dreidel Song, is one of the best known Chanukah songs in the English-speaking world. It is associated with the festival of Chanukah celebrated by Jews and Christians throughout the world. A dreidel differs from an ordinary spinning top because it has four letters - Nun-Gimel-Heh-Shin - printed one on each side. The words Nun-Gimel-Heh-Shin represent the phrase Nas-Godol-Hayah-Sham, which means "A Great Miracle Happened There."

Lyrics
I have a little dreidel,
I made it out of clay,
And when it's dry and ready,
Then dreidel I shall play!

Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
I made it out of clay,
And when it's dry and ready,
Then dreidel I shall play!

It has a lovely body,
With legs so short and thin,
And when my dreidel's tired,
It drops and then I win!

Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
I made it out of clay,
And when it's dry and ready,
Then dreidel I shall play!

My dreidel's always playful,
It loves to dance and spin,
A happy game of dreidel,
Come play now, let's begin!

Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
I made it out of clay,
And when it's dry and ready,
Then dreidel I shall play!

Dreidel Game
Begin by dividing candy or pretzels equally between the players. Ask each player to contribute one candy to the "pot." Players then spin the dreidel one by one in a clockwise order. Players add to or take away from the pot depending upon the success of their spin.

If the dreidel lands on Nun the player takes nothing.

If the dreidel lands on Gimel the player takes everything.

If the dreidel lands on Heh the player takes half of the pot.

If the dreidel lands on Shin the player puts one candy in the pot.

Winning the Game
The player who collects the most candy wins.

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