The Basics
The entire holiday of Purim is set aside to celebrate the Jews triumphal victory over the wicked Haman and his evil plot to exterminate the Jews as detailed in the Book of Esther. During the holiday, the Book of Esther is read in synagogue. (And I would suggest, if you wish to appreciate all the characters and things associated with Purim, it would be very beneficial to read the Book of Esther as well.) When the book is read, any time Queen Esther or Mordecai are mentioned, the audience breaks out into spontaneous cheers and shouts of joy. When the evil character Haman is mentioned, the crowd stomps its feet and shouts out booing.
The word Purim is derived from the Persian language which translated into English means lots. In the Book of Esther, Haman casts lots (i.e., throws dice or uses some sort of divination) to determine when he should carry out his evil plan of exterminating the Jews. The 13th of Adar (the 12th month on the Jewish calendar) was slated to be the date. On the 13th of Adar, the Jews and the Persians fought. On the 14th of Adar, the Jews in the Persian kingdom celebrated a glorious victory over their foes. (The Jews in the Persian capital city of Sushan fought for a second day on the 14th of Adar. On the 15th of Adar they held a giant celebration.) From this time forth, the 14th of Adar has been remembered and celebrated as a joyous day when the Jews defeated their enemies.
The Story in a Nutshell
The Persian Empire of the 4th Century BC extended across 127 lands from northern Africa and Asia Minor in the east across to India in the west. All the Jews living in this region were ruled by the Persians. When King Ahasuerus has his wife, Queen Vashti, dethroned for failing to follow his orders, he arranged for a search to find a new queen. (I like to call this the very first beauty pageant, Miss Queen of Persia.) A young Jewish woman, Esther, found favor in the king's eyes and became the new queen. Under the command of her cousin, Mordecai, Esther never divulges her Jewish nationality.
Subsequently, Haman, a Jew-hating man, was appointed as prime minister of the empire. Mordecai defies the king's orders and refuses to bow down to Haman. Haman becomes infuriated and convinces the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews on the 13th day of the month Adar, a date picked via casting lots (purim).
When the decree is made public, Mordecai rallies the Jews, convincing them to repent, fast and pray. Moreover, he entreats Esther to ask the king to rescind his decree. Esther bravely goes before the king's throne and asks him (and Haman) to join her for a feast. After her courage fails her the first day, Esther asks the King and Haman to join her on the following day for another feast. At the second feast, Esther reveals to the king her Jewish identity. Haman begs the queen's forgiveness, but the king orders Haman to be hung. When Esther reveals to the king that Mordecai is her cousin, the king appoints Mordecai to be prime minister. A new decree is issued, granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemy.
On the 13th of Adar, the Jews kill many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar, they rest and celebrate their triumphant victory. In the capital city of Sushan, the Jews take one more day to finish killing their enemies.
Other Facts
Esther's name is derived from the goddess Ishtar. Ishtar was the Babylonian and Persian goddess of war, love and fertility. She was called Ashteroth by the Phoenicians. Esther's Hebrew name is Hadassah. Hadassah is derived from the Hebrew word hadas which means myrtle tree. According to Jewish tradition, a myrtle trees represents righteousness in Scripture. The sages in the Midrash take this one step father and say just as a myrtle tree has a sweet smell and a bitter taste, so too Esther was good and listened (sweet) to the righteous Mordecai. She was adverse (bitter) to the wicked Haman.
The Book of Esther, known as "the Scroll" (Megillah) in Hebrew, is a book in the third section (Ketuvim "Writings") of the Jewish Bible. It is one of five scrolls (Megillot) in the Hebrew Bible. The Books of Esther and Song of Solomon are the only books which do not explicitly mention God in the text.
The book of Esther consists of an introduction in chapters 1 and 2; the main action occurs in chapters 3 to 9:19; and a conclusion is given in chapter 9:20-10:3. The plot is structured around banquets (mishteh), a word that occurs 20 times in the Book of Esther and only 24 times in the rest of the Hebrew Bible. This is apropos given that the Book of Esther describes the origin of a Jewish feast, the feast of Purim.
The Book of Esther became the last of the 24 books of the Tanakh (Old Testament) to be canonized by the Sages of the Great Assembly. It is usually dated to the fourth century BC. The Greek Book of Esther included in the Septuagint is a re-telling of the events of the Hebrew Book of Esther rather than a translation. The Greek book includes additional traditions which do not appear in the original Hebrew version. One such addition is the identification of Ahasuerus with Artaxerxes and includes details of various letters. The Coptic and Ethiopian versions of the Book of Esther are translations of the Greek version rather than the Hebrew version of the Book of Esther.
(Side note: The Tanakh also called the Mikra or the Hebrew Bible, is the canonical collection of Jewish texts, which is the textual source for the Christian Old Testament. These texts are composed mainly in Biblical Hebrew, with some passages in Biblical Aramaic. The traditional Hebrew text is known as the Masoretic Text. The Tanakh consists of 24 books.
Tanakh is an acronym of the first letter of each of the Masoretic Text's three subdivisons: Torah ("Teaching", also known as the Five Books of Moses), Nevi'im ("Prophets") and Ketuvim ("Writings"). Hence it is called TaNaKh. The name Mikra, meaning "that which is read", is another Hebrew word for the Tanakh. The books of the Tanakh were passed on by each generation, and according to rabbinic tradition, they were also accompanied by oral tradition called the Oral Torah.)
Purim Observances
1. Hear the Megillah
At synagogues across the world, the whole Megillah scroll (aka, the Book of Esther) is publicly read twice--once on Purim night and again on Purim day. This year, that is Wednesday night, March 20 and Thursday, March 21.
2. Give to the needy (Matanot LaEvyonim)
One of Purim's main themes is Jewish unity. Haman tried to kill all the Jews. Being unified in danger, the Jews also unify in celebrating. During Purim, there is a special emphasis on caring for the less fortunate. A main act of kindness is giving food or money to at least two needy people. On Purim, a donation is given to whomever asks. Many synagogues take up special offerings during this time to give to charity in their communities.
3. Send food gifts to friends (Mishloach Manot)
The holiday of Purim emphasizes the importance of friendship and community. One way of showing this spirit is by sending food gifts to friends. The tradition is to send at least two ready-to-eat food and/or beverage items to at least one acquaintance. Men send gifts to men; women send gifts to women. It is preferable that the gifts be delivered via a third party. As with all the observances, children also participate in sending gifts. Additionally, children are often employed as the messengers in delivering the gifts.
4. Masquerade!
On Purim, children (and some enthusiastic adults) dress in costumes, an allusion to God's hand in the Purim miracle, which was disguised by natural events. Girls often dress up as Queen Esther, and boy often dress up as Mordecai. Many synagogues have a masquerade party, along with prizes for the children during or after the Megillah reading.
5. Feast!!!
During Purim day (March 21), families gather together and often invite guests to celebrate a Purim meal. Traditionally, the meal begins before sundown and lasts well into the evening. The table is covered with a nice tablecloth; candles give the illumination. The meal features meat, wine, Jewish songs, words from the Torah and lots of laughter and joy. The feast is a great celebration of eating, singing and having fun.
Purim Food
1. Hamantaschen
The most famous Purim food is hamantaschen (Yiddish for Haman's pockets). These treats are thinly rolled dough cut into circles with their sides folded up around a dollop of filling. The cookie can be crumbly if made with oil or soft when made with butter or cream cheese. The hamantaschen can be filled with almost anything--fruit, cheese, chocolate, nutella or savory ingredients.
The cookie itself is highly symbolic. The most common interpretation is that they resemble the three cornered hat worn by Haman. In Hebrew, the cookies are called ozney Haman which means "Haman's ears". This refers to the custom of cutting off a criminals ears before his execution. A third idea suggests that each corner of a hamantaschen represents one of the fathers of Judaism--Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--whose power weakened Haman and gave strength to Esther to save the Jews. Lastly, one more thought is that because the German word taschen means "pouch" or "pocket", the cookies could signify Haman's pockets, and the money he offered to the king for permission to kill the Jews.
2. Challah
Challah is a traditional Jewish braided bread made with eggs, flour, water, yeast, sugar and salt. A special Purim Challah is usually oversized and extensively braided. The braids on the challah are intended to remind people of the rope used to hang Haman. The term challah originally refers to the commandment of separating a portion of the dough before braiding it. This portion of the bread is set aside as a tithe for the priests. In Hebrew, this commandment is called hafrashat challah or "separating challah". This obligation applies to any loaf of bread, not just to the Sabbath bread.
3. Bean dishes
Bean dishes include salted beans, and boiled chickpeas seasoned with salt and pepper. These dishes are to remind the people that Esther would not eat anything at the court of King Ahasuerus that was not kosher. So, she mainly ate peas and beans.
4. Kreplach
Kreplach are triangle pouches filled with chopped meat, mashed potatoes or other filling. They are usually boiled and served in chicken soup; although they may also be served fried and served alone as a side dish. They are similar to the Polish uszka, Russian pelmeni, Italian ravioli or tortellini and Chinese wontons. The dough is traditionally made of flour, water and eggs. It is kneaded and rolled out thin. Some modern-day cooks use frozen dough sheets or wonton wrappers. Ready-to-eat kreplach are also sold in the kosher frozen foods section of some grocery stores.
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