Jewish people celebrate many holidays every year. Some holidays, such as Hanukkah and Purim, often get compared to more mainstream holidays like Christmas or Halloween. However, while Purim does include wearing costumes, it is very different from Halloween.
The story of Purim comes from the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. It is set in Ancient Persia, sometime Before Common Era (BCE). The story focuses on a king named Ahasuerus (AH-hash-VE-rosh) and his royal advisor Haman, who is plotting to eliminate all the Jewish citizens in the land because they refused to bow down to him. The king’s wife, Queen Esther, is Jewish, but she hid her identity from the king for fear that she would be discriminated against and not even have a chance at the throne. When she finds out that King Ahasuerus blindly approved a plan to annihilate the Jewish population of Persia, she is convinced to put aside her fears and face the king to save her people. When the king finds out what he had carelessly done, he immediately did away with Haman and the plot against the Jews.
The story of Purim is all about standing up against injustice, as well as the power of strong women. We can learn a lot from this story, and apply the themes to our world today.
Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of the Hebrew month Adar. Because Jewish holidays follow the lunar calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar changes every year. This year, Purim is celebrated on March 14. (Fun fact: Jewish holidays always start at sun set the night before, so Purim actually starts the night of March 13.) This date was picked because it was the day after Haman’s scheduled plot, so on this day the Jewish population rejoiced in the fact that the plan had been thwarted.
We have many fun customs to celebrate the holiday. One major tradition is a Purim Carnival, where we play games and win small prizes. We also share “Mishloach Manot”, which is a small gift of food, with friends and family. Many people dress up in fun or silly costumes, which is derived straight from Queen Esther choosing to mask her identity. The traditional Purim food is Hamantashen, a delicious triangle shaped cookie with filling in the middle, usually a type of jam or chocolate.
If you want to try a Hamantashen cookie and learn more about Purim, stop by the Jewish Student Society’s Purim party after school on March 12. Chag Purim Sameach (Have a happy Purim)!
