I got a nice email from somebody who had trouble finding this thread, and he made some worthwhile comments:I figured it could be spelling or title issues?. Thanks.
I am glad to know there?s a yiddish version?and it seems to be the original. I say this since the english is nonsenss. A clay dredle can?t be made so that it can spin with equal chance of landing on any of the four sides. To get the weight that even seems impossible.. If in yiddish ?bla? means ?lead? however I have seen such a dreydel?and it did spin well. It was two intersecting planes that made an ?X.? They are rare in these days of plastic. Also back to the english, a dreydel has no ?legs? thick or thin?it?s a top.
There are traditions that have grown where Dreydel becomes a ?zipper? song. Each verse mentions a different material, fanciful or literal, from which the dreydel is made. And then the a fourth line is made to rhyme with it.. wood...good, dust?bust?etc The refrain then simply repeats the additions ?Oh dreydel dreydel dreydel/ I made it out of ?../ ?Oh dreydel dreydel dreydel/ It??..?
Quite a catchy tune?. it can be sung in descant to ?dashing through the snow? by the way?if you skip the ?jingle bells? part.
I always thought that the "leg" (singular) was the point that the dreydl spins on.
-Joe-
P.S. Hanukkah is Dec 12-20 in 2017, so light your menorahs!
18 Dec 2017
Hey Joe,As a follow up on the dreydel song today I asked my grandkids how they sing it. Already they’re being taught it as a zipper. I was surprised.
One of the six year olds said he made his out of “diamonds” and after spinning it he was “blinded.” His twin then wentt further and said hgis dreydel was “diamond” too but he said spinning it cut the “tabble”. !!!!! He explained that diamond are ver sharp…. sharp enough like a true literalist. to break a rhyme I guess or even a near rhyme.