“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.
Find more Hanukkah songs here.
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.
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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.
Hebrew:
Sivivon, sov, sov, sov
Chanukah, hu chag tov
Chanukah, hu chag tov
Sivivon, sov, sov, sov!
Chag simcha hu la-am
Nes gadol haya sham
Nes gadol haya sham
Chag simcha hu la-am.
סֵבִיבוֹן סב סב סב
חנכּה הוא חג טוב
חנכּה הוא חג טוב
סֵבִיבוֹן סב סב סב
חַג שִׂמְחָה הוּא לַעָם
נֵס גָדוֹל הָיָה שָם
נֵס גָדוֹל הָיָה שָם
חַג שִׂמְחָה הוּא לַעָם
Sivivon (in Israel)
English (translation):
Dreidel, spin, spin, spin
Chanukah is a great holiday.
Chanukah is a great holiday.
Dreidel, spin, spin, spin.
Spin, please, spin like this and that.
A great miracle happened here
A great miracle happened here
Spin, please, spin like this and that.
Hebrew:
Sivivon, sov, sov, sov
Chanukah, hu chag tov
Chanukah, hu chag tov
Sivivon, sov, sov, sov!
Sov na sov ko va’cho
Nes gadol haya po
Nes gadol haya po
Sov na sov ko va’cho!
סֵבִיבוֹן סב סב סב
חנכּה הוא חג טוב
חנכּה הוא חג טוב
סֵבִיבוֹן סב סב סב
סב נא סב כה וכה
נס גדול היה פה
נס גדול היה פה
סב נא סב כה וכה
dreidel
Pronounced: DRAY-dul, Origin: Yiddish, a spinning top, with four sides, each marked with a different Hebrew letter (nun, gimel, hay and shin), it is played with on Hanukkah.
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Hanukkah
Pronounced: KHAH-nuh-kah, also ha-new-KAH, an eight-day festival commemorating the Maccabees’ victory over the Greeks and subsequent rededication of the temple. Falls in the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually corresponds with December.
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simcha
Pronounced: SIM-khuh (short i), Origin: Hebrew, joyous occasion.
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