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Here's a look at Purim, a Jewish holiday celebrating Queen Esther.
In 2024, Purim will begin at sundown on March 23 and end at sundown on March 24.
Purim is the celebration of the story of Queen Esther of Persia.
The story is told in the Megillah, also known as the Book of Esther in the Bible.
The first Purim celebrations are believed to date back to the 5th century BC
Purim is a celebration of Queen Esther's bravery.
Orphaned, Esther was raised by her relative Mordechai.
She married King Achashverosh, king of Persia, and was made queen.
The king did not know that she was Jewish because Mordechai had ordered her not to reveal her faith.
The villain of the story is Haman, the king's advisor.
Haman hated Mordechai because Mordechai refused to bow down to him.
Then Haman planned to exterminate all the Jews in Persia.
Mordechai convinced Esther to intercede on behalf of the Jews.
He fasted for three days to prepare and asked the Jewish people to fast as well.
When she told the king, he was outraged at Haman and ordered him to be hanged, thus saving the Jews.
The word “Purim” means “lots” and refers to the lottery that Haman used to choose the date of the massacre.
The day before Purim is a day of fasting, to commemorate the fast of Esther.
Children often use costumes to dress up as key characters from the Purim story.
There are three acts that are performed on Purim:
– Give two gifts of money, food or clothing to the poor.
– Sending gifts of two different meals to friends.
– Eat a festive meal based on meat and wine.
