How to Play Chanukah Dreidel

Dreidel is a game played during the Jewish festival of Chanukah. Chanukah is a time for celebration, for eating delicious food, lighting candles, and of course playing dreidel with family and friends. Even if you're not Jewish, you can enjoy playing Dreidel by following these rules.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dreidel
• Something small and plentiful (pennies, peanuts, marbles, jelly beans)

1. 
   Dreidel Pennies

   To begin playing Dreidel, distribute 10 playing pieces to each player. You can use anything small: pennies, peanuts, jelly beans, you name it.

2. 
   Dreidel Pot

   Each player puts one piece in the center to form a "winner's pot".

3. 
   Spin the Dreidel

   The youngest player spins the Dreidel first. The Dreidel is a four-sided top with four Hebrew letters, each corresponding to a different outcome in the game.

4. 
   Nun

   Nun: If the Dreidel shows "Nun", then the player does nothing. The Dreidel advances to the next player.

5. 
   Shin

   Shin: If the Dreidel shows "Shin", then the player must put a penny into the pot.

6. 
   Hay

   Hay: If the Dreidel shows "Hay", then the player wins half of the pennies in the pot.

7. 
   Gimmel

   Gimmel: If the Dreidel shows "Gimmel", then the player wins the pot! Everyone must put a penny in the pot and a new round begins.

[Biscuit4u]

on 1/14/2009 Interesting article. Thanks for the informative read.

[amberdawn]

on 1/3/2009 Thanks, I never knew it was a game, I just thought the dreidel was a top! 5*

[MotherDove]

on 1/3/2009 Believe it or not, I played this game as a child! Thanks for the memories and I hope your holidays were wonderful.