Purim

Meaning
Purim actually means “lottery”. The Biblical Book of Esther relates how Jewish Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai stopped a plot to murder all the Jews of ancient Persia. The plot was planned by Haman, a chief advisor to King Ahashuerus. The lottery refers to the method by which Haman chose the date for the destruction. We read the Biblical Book of Esther during Purim.

Mood
Purim is one of the most festive holidays during the year. During the service, people wear the costumes of the characters in the story and shake a gragger (noisemaker) to drown out Haman’s name each time it is read.

Customs
We perform a play enacting the story of the holiday. Also, we eat hamantaschen, which are fruit filled triangle pastries—reminding us of Haman’s hat. We also make donations to the poor and give gifts of food to friends, which are called mishloach manot