Purim Fun

Purim is by far one of the wildest and most fun Jewish holidays! It is a story of beauty pageants, royal families, marital problems, bad guys, murder, and more. King Ahasheurus marries Queen Esther, whom he does not know is Jewish. Haman (boo Haman!!!) decides all the Jews should be killed and gets King Ahasheurus to issue a decree for this. But, when Esther's uncle Mordechai hears the terrible news he shares it with Esther. Esther then goes to her husband, the king, and saves the day for the Jews! Fun holiday traditions include giving charity and gifts to friends, eating hamantaschen (triangular cookies symbolic of Haman's three cornered hat), reading a Purim play (called a sphiel) and booing every time you hear Haman's name, dressing in costumes, and getting drunk (that last part is for adults only). So put on your King Ahasheurus crown, your Queen Esther crown, or your yummy Hamantaschen cookie. To learn more about Purim or other aspects of Judaism from a contemporary Jewish perspective, visit www.OurJewishCommunity.org.