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Why do we play Dreidel during Hanukkah?

Dreidel is a traditional Jewish game played during the eight-day holiday Hanukkah. Also known as sevivon in Modern Hebrew, dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a pointed base and Hebrew letters on each side. It is perhaps one of the most commonly associated customs with Hanukkah. But little do people know of its true origins and why Jewish people play it during the Festival of Light.

For those of you who don’t know, the story goes like this:

During the reign of the Antiochus IV, Jewish people couldn’t practice their religion freely. They weren’t allowed to study their holy book of Torah or anything else associated with it. Jewish children and adults who wanted to do so had to do it in secret, usually by going deep into the woods. But they were still afraid that the soldiers may find them. That’s how they came up with a clever solution in case Syrian soldiers came along. They would bring their dreidel with them and pretend they were playing a game instead!

Today, we play dreidel in honor of the people who saved their lives and their religion thanks to this interesting game. carries a special Israeli Style dreidel as well as inexpensive wood and plastic dreidels that come with game instructions. Available Year-Round so any time you want to teach about Chanukah or learn to play the dreidel game, now you know where to find dreidels! #dreidels #hanukkah #jewishtradition