Purim is the Jewish "Feast of Esther"

It is celebrated with carnivals, costumes, feasting and revelry!

When is it, and where did it begin?

The story of Purim (pronounced "POOR-ihm," with a long "oo" sound as in "spook")  is told in the biblical book of Esther.  It takes place in the Persian Empire, during the Babylonian Captivity, around 550 B.C.E.  It falls on the full moon of the Jewish month of Adar, which comes in at the end of winter  in the Northern Hemisphere, in February or March. 

Who are the main characters in the Purim story?

Here we see the four main characters, represented by a set of children's Purim masks from Israel:

• Upper left:  wicked Haman, the archetypal Jew-hater
• Upper right: Mordechai, the  pious Jew
• Lower left: beautiful Queen Esther, niece of Mordechai
• Lower right:  drunken king Ahaseuerus, ruler of Persia

What is the main plot?

During a drunken royal feast, King Ahasuerus becomes angry with Queen Vashti and banishes her from the kingdom.  After he sobers up, he regrets this action, but he cannot rescind a royal decree -- even though he is the king.  So, he holds a big beauty contest to find "the fairest in the land."  That turns out to be Esther, who is the niece of the pious Jew, Mordechai.  However, the king does not know this, because "Esther" is a Persian name (probably derived from "Ishtar"),  so he does not know she is a Jew.  He marries Esther (whose Hebrew name is Hadassah) and makes her his new queen.

Meanwhile, the wicked Haman, one of the king's less-than-loyal advisors, hates the Jew Mordechai, because he will not bow to Haman or his pagan idols.  Haman plots to kill Mordechai, and builds a high gallows to hang him on.  But the plot backfires, and Haman ends up having to lead Mordechai's horse in a public parade to honor him instead.  Infuriated, Haman now goes after all the Jews.  He tell the king that "a certain people" lives in his kingdom but refuses to assimilate into Persian society and might someday become a threat, so they should be wiped out now.  Dumb king Ahasuerus falls for this slander and orders the "certain people" to be killed, without bothering to find out who they are.

When Mordechai finds out about this plot, he tells all the Jews to fast and pray.  He also tells Esther to reveal to the king that she is a Jew, and that her people are the "certain people" that Haman plans to destroy.  When the king hears this, he turns on Haman and has him hung on the same gallows he had built to hang loyal Mordechai.  The Jews are saved, and everybody celebrates.

How is Purim celebrated?

Reading the Megillah

On the evening and again on the morning of Purim, the entire Book of Esther, called the megillah  in Hebrew, is read out loud in the synagogue.  (This is the origin of the expression, "don't give me the whole megillah," referring to a long, complicated story.)  During this reading, people cheer for Mordechai and boo Haman.  They also drown out the name of Haman with groggers and other noisemakers, or by stamping their feet.  This is hardly a solemn Bible reading -- it is more like a comical melodrama!  In some congregations, costumed members pantomine the story as it is read. 

Sending gifts of food

Because the Book of Esther says that the Jews sent each other "gifts" to celebrate their survival, the custom arose to send food gifts to at least two different families or indivuduals on Purim.  Because the food must be "sent," messengers are used, often children in costumes who deliver the gift to somebody right in the same room as their parents.  People also send gifts through the mail, or deliver them door-to-door.

A favorite food on Purim is hamentaschen, which means "Haman's pockets" in Yiddish.  Hamentaschen are a triangular pastry with various fruit fillings.  They are 3-cornered because Jewish tradition says that Haman wore a tri-cornered hat.

Giving charity (tsedakah)

It is also the custom to give at least one coin to each of two poor people on Purim.  Most people give much more, of course.  In some communities, costume charity balls are held to raise money for various causes.  Children often carry little charity boxes called "pushkes" to collect money for their schools, synagogues, the local food shelf, etc.  People also give coins directly to beggars on the streets. 

Feasting and drinking

Although Jews are generally not heavy drinkers, on Purim it is the custom to indulge "until one cannot tell the difference between 'bless Mordechai' and 'curse Haman.'"   In other words, get drunk.  However, unlike many gentile carnivals, on Purim one is also expected to observe the moral standards of Judaism.  Among Jews, being drunk is never an excuse for committing sins, heaven forbid.  So, if one cannot control one's own behavior, then one does not indulge in drink.  However, anybody can observe the custom of writing Haman's name on the bottom of their shoes, so that his memory can be "wiped out" as they walk and dance the hora (Jewish circle dance.)

Carnivals, costumes, and political satire

In many synagogues, there are carnivals and games for the kids, who dress up in costumes.  Adults may dress up, too -- and many do.  In addition to the usual Esthers, Hamans, Kings and Mordechais, you also see many other characters.  (Feminists have recently begun to dress as Vashti -- the first queen who was wrongly banished.)   It is common to parody politicians, rabbis, teachers, movie stars, and other authority figures or cultural idols.  In this custom, Purim resembles the medieval "Feast of Fools."  Nobody is immune to ridicule on Purim -- and everybody is expected to take it it good humor. 

Forerunner of Mardi Gras?

Purim is probably the forerunner of Mardi Gras.  Purim comes one month  before Passover, and Mardi Gras comes 40 days before Easter (which originally took place during Passover.)  Although the modern interpretations of the two carnivals are different today, it is very likely that Mardi Gras grew out of the Purim festivities already being practiced at the time Christianity began.  (Both may be rooted in even earlier "winter silliness festivals," fulfilling the very human need to be cheered up.)

The moral of the story???

Beneath all the revelry, Purim does have a message.  Haman's nasty claim -- that a minority people which keeps its own religion, language, and customs might be a threat to the state -- is a story that, unfortunately, has repeated itself many times in history.  We saw it with Hitler in Germany, with the treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II, with scapegoating Muslim Americans after 9/11, and with other  minorities in other places.  We still see it today in many countries in reference to various immigrant groups.  Purim teaches us not to listen to the bigoted Hamans of the world, and to respect the diversity of the human race.