The Maccabeats – I Have a Little Dreidel – Hanukkah
There are certain seasonal songs that become so powerfully connected to a holiday that it seems as though they’ve been around as long as the holiday itself.
“I Have a Little Dreidel,” originally composed by Samuel Goldfarb some 100 years ago, does not date back to the period of the Maccabees, but – for reasons no one will ever know – has become perhaps the best-known English song of the Hanukkah canon. For this year’s Hanukkah video, we’ve transformed this simple melody into a multi-genre adventure testing the limits of a cappella music and challenging us all to find new ways to bring excitement to our traditions.
The dreidel, a Jewish variant on the teetotum, traditionally memorializes a time when religious practice had to be concealed from an oppressive government; it thus celebrates religious freedom. Its four letters also remind us of the great miracles of Hanukkah. We hope our renewal of this classic continues to spread those messages and helps everyone celebrate a Happy Hanukkah.
Enjoy our “I Have a Little Dreidel” video and make sure to grab the track on CDBaby or iTunes!
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