Purim
The begining of March is when the Holiday of Purim occurs.
Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. Parties are held to commemorate a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination by a mean politician.
The story of Purim is told in the Bible section called The Book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai. He took care of her and raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. He loved her more than his other women, because she was very kind and wise, and made her queen. But the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her background.
Haman, advisor to the king, hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to him. Mordecai would not do this because, as a Jew, one is not allowed to bow to anyone but God. As revenge, Haman plotted to destroy all the Jewish people. Sneakily, Haman asked for, and was given, the fate of the all Jewish people to do with as he pleased.
Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king’s presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her and she told him of Haman’s plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was punished.
The word “Purim” means “lots” and refers to the lottery that Haman used to choose the date for his planned massacre.
The Purim holiday is preceded by a minor fast, the Fast of Esther, which commemorates Esther’s three days of fasting. After the fast, a large feast is planned for the whole family and cakes called Haman Tashin (Haman’s Ears) are enjoyed by all.
