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It’s a Jewish holiday that is celebrated on the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the Jewish month of Adar, which usually coincides with the Gregorian month called March. There are many lessons Purim, the Jewish festival can teach kids.
About 2,500 years ago, the Jews were forced to leave Israel and many of us went to Persia (Iran today) which was an empire those days that ruled over many lands. From India to Nigeria, according to the Book of Esther.
An evil man named Haman was the king’s advisor, and he hated the Jews. He convinced the king to allow all his subjects to kill the Jews in all the lands of his empire on the 13th day of Adar. Unfortunately for him, the Persian king had a Jewish queen named Esther, although he had no idea she was Jewish. Esther’s uncle Mordecai informed her of Haman’s murderous plan, and she instructed all the Jews in the empire, including herself and her maidservants, to pray and to fast for 3 days and three nights.
After doing so, she approached the king. It was a very great risk. In those days, if you dared to approach the king without being summoned, you could be put to death. But Esther took that chance to save her people. She invited the king and his advisor to a party, and there she confessed to being Jewish, and begged her husband to deal with Haman. The king, who suspected Haman of intending to seduce his queen, ordered him to be hung. Haman himself had previously prepared a tree to have Moredecai hung, but in the end he was hung on the very same tree.
The evil decree had been signed by the king and couldn’t be cancelled, so Esther and her Uncle Mordecai asked permission for the Jews to defend themselves on that day, and it was granted.
On the thirteenth of Adar that year, the Jews in all the lands of the Persian empire fought for their lives and won!
This holiday is called Purim– which means a lottery in Hebrew.
Everything Turns Out for the Best
Jews everywhere rejoice on this day because our fate to be murdered on that day was reversed- This was salvation in disguise, because although we prayed to G-d to save us and He did, there were no supernatural miracles involved.
Everything “naturally” turned our for the best!
Celebrate Joyously with Variety of Color and Food
So on this day we all put on costumes, to show that things are not necessarily what they seem. We also have a festive meal, and in addition everyone over the age of 13 for boys and 12 for girls is required to give a portion of two different kinds of food to at least one other person that age or older.
Charity for Brotherly Love
This is meant to increase the brotherly love among us. Another requirement to give charity to a poor person. The head of each family usually takes care of this. It’s considered the most joyous holiday of the Jewish year.
Storytelling for Lesson Learning and Celebration
We all gather in the synagogue on the eve of Purim and again on the following day, to listen to the reading of the Book of Esther, that tells the story of what happened on that day. Everyone wears a costume, and we all bring noisemakers like the one I’m holding in the picture. Although we are totally silent and attentive during the reading, whenever the name of Haman is mentioned, we all make as much noise as we can!
MORE FESTIVALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD! – https://raisingworldchildren.com/magazine/
