Sivivon Sov Sov Sov

The iconic dreidel song for Hanukkah.

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"Sivivon Sov Sov Sov" is known as the other dreidel song--not to be confused with the one about making dreidels out of clay. A dreidel has two sets of letters--outside of Israel, a shin, which stands for sham, or "there," in the phrase "A great miracle happened there." Instead, in Israel, there's a pey, which stands for po, or "here," since the miracle of Hanukkah actually happened in Israel.

Similarly, "Sivivon" has two sets of lyrics: one sung in Israel, which refers to the "great miracle" as happening "here," and one that references it "there."

Sivivon (outside of Israel)

English (translation):
Dreidel, spin, spin, spin
Chanukah is a great holiday.
Chanukah is a great holiday.
Dreidel, spin, spin, spin.

    A holiday of happiness it is for the nation.
    A great miracle happened there.
    A great miracle happened there.
    A holiday of happiness it is for the nation.

Alicia Jo Rabins is a Brooklyn-based musician, writer, and Jewish educator. Her band, Girls in Trouble (original art-pop songs about women in Torah) released their self-titled debut on JDub Records, and she is the violinist in klezmer-rock band Golem. A published poet, Alicia has a MA in Jewish Womens Studies and a MFA in poetry; as a Jewish educator, she specializes in creative, meaningful online bar/bat mitzvah preparation.