Dreidel (sevivon in Hebrew) is the iconic Hanukkah game for two or more players featuring a four-sided spinning top. On each side is one of four Hebrew letters (nun, gimel, hay, shin), which stand for the phrase “Nes gadol haya sham”—“A great miracle happened there”—referring to the Maccabees’ victory over King Antiochus and his army.
Fun fact: Dreidels in Israel don’t have the letter shin! Since the Hanukkah story takes place in Judea (Israel), those dreidels have a peh for po, or “here.” “Nes gadol haya po”—“A great miracle happened here.”
(Infographic by Miriam Anzovin)