What Is Purim ?
Purim (Poo-rihm)
What is Purim ? The holiday is called Purim or the Feast of Lots..
It is a celebration of Jewish deliverance as told in the Book of Esther.
Purim falls on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Adar. It comes in February or March.
It is a happy time and Jewish people everywhere celebrate the occasion. It is a holiday that recalls how Queen Esther saved the Jews from death.
The complete story can be found in the Bible in the Book of Esther.
The story is read on Purim in places of worship (the synagogue) and at home as well.
In Persia, which is now Iran there was a man named Haman. Haman was a wicked man, and was angry when Queen Esther's cousin, Mordecai, a Jew , refused to bow before him.
Haman set out to get even and plotted to kill all Jews. The day for this to happen would be decided by lot. A lot is a piece of paper that is picked by chance in order to decide upon something. It would be something like drawing a name out of a hat.
Queen Esther begged and pleaded with her husband the King, and saved her people..For Queen Esther had kept her family secret and it was not known, until that evening when she revealed that she too were Jew.
Be sure to watch the inserted video to see the story of Purim.
Haman's Hat
Feast Of Lots
Purim is a happy and fun occasion, and for many people when the story of Esther is read on Purim they will often follow an ancient custom.
Jewish children will wear a mask and a costume for the holiday.
Every time Haman's name is mentioned, they will stamp their feet or rattle a noisemaker to show how they feel about him.
Gifts are given to friends and the needy. Children put on spiel (play) that tell the story of Queen Esther. And thus, the Joy of Purim is shown in many ways.
Family and friends will sit down in the evening for a Purim feast.
Among the foods enjoyed are three-cornered pastries called Hamentashen or "Haman's hat" even though hamantashen really means " Haman's pockets." And sometimes these goodies are even called "Haman's ears".
To make hamentashen, sweet pastry dough is rolled out, cut into circles, or and then it is traditionally filled with a poppy seed filling; its is then wrapped up into a triangular shape. The filling can either be hidden or left showing. More recently, prunes, dates, apricots, and chocolate fillings have been used to fill the pastries.
About Purim
Purim Song
Maccabeats
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What is Purim?
A celebration of Jewish deliverance as told in the Book of Esther. Purim falls on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Adar. It comes in February or March.