Jewish Customs (Purim)
 To
commemorate the miraculous turn of events recorded
in Esther, Purim is celebrated with feasts, sending
gifts of food to friends and the needy, and with
the reading of Esther, the story of Purim. The
earliest descriptions of Purim celebrations, from
the Second Temple and Mishnaic eras, offer no
indication of the partying that is associated
with the festival today. The emphasis was on the
formal reading of the Scroll of Esther, which
was to be conducted with great care and seriousness.
Later customs originated in late fifteenth century
Italy, such as donning masks, drinking, parody,
and costumes. Purim is a joyous day celebrated
by the entire family.
The following are main traditions of Purim:
- Listening to the Megillah reading in the evening
and again in the morning.
- Sending at least two ready to eat foods to
at least one friend.
- Giving charity to at least two poor people.
- Eating a festive meal during the day of Purim
in honor of the holiday.
- Reciting "Al Hanisim" in prayer
and in grace after meal.
Fasting
To commemorate the day of prayer and fasting
that the Jews held before their victory, Jews
fast on the day before Purim from approximately
three hours before sunrise until forty minutes
after sunset.
Give to Charity
It is a tradition to give to charity to commemorate
the half-shekel given by each Jew in the time
of the Holy Temple.
Prayers
Special prayers are said for evening, morning
and afternoon, as well as in the grace after meals.
The morning of Purim, there is a special reading
from the Torah Scroll in the synagogue.
Purim Play
Play One of the most entertaining customs of
the Purim holiday is the children dressing up
as the characters found in the story of Esther.
The Megillah (the Scroll of Esther) is read aloud
as it is acted out in a play or acted out with
puppets. The custom of donning masks and costumes
on Purim probably originated in late fifteenth
century Italy as an imitation of Christian carnivals.
It was tied to the idea of God’s "hiding
his face" as found in the Talmud!
 Noisemakers
Groggers are the noisemakers used during the
reading of the Megillah. Every time the name of
Haman is mentioned, everyone boos, hisses, stamps
their feet, and twirls their groggers. Any type
of noisemaker can be used. In medieval Europe,
children would write Haman’s name on stones
or wood blocks, and bang them until the name was
erased. When the name Mordecai is mentioned, the
people cheer.
Food
Family and friends gather together to rejoice
in the Purim spirit by having a special festive
meal. As with other holidays, there is a traditional
food. During Purim, Hamantaschens are served.
Hamantaschen means "Haman’s pockets."
These are triangle-shaped cookies that supposedly
look like the hat Haman wore. The cookies are
sweet, filled with a fruit (usually prune) or
poppy seed mixture.
Work
Work is permitted as usual on Purim unless, of
course, it falls on a Saturday.
The above is just a tiny sampling from the giant
telephone size book, A
Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays.
The book includes graphics, games, puzzles, recipes,
and much more for the seven holidays in Leviticus,
Sabbath, Hanukkah, and Purim
More About Purim
| Purim
in Bible Times | Celebrating
Purim | Jewish
Customs |
| Messiah
in Purim | Purim
Links | Childrens
books |
| Audio
Purim Story | Purim
Recipes |
|
