Purim
The Jewish festival of Purim commemorates the saving of the Jews in Persia 2,500 years ago. People gather in the synagogue to hear the story of Esther read from a scroll. Esther, a Jewish woman, was married to Ahasuerus, the King of Persia, whose advisor, Haman, wanted to destroy the Jews. Queen Esther and her uncle, Mordecai, saved them, and Haman was deposed.
At Purim time, children – and many adults, too – dress up as the characters in the story of Esther and carry rattles. Every time the name of the evil Haman is mentioned, everyone shakes their rattles and stamps their feet. It is traditional to eat cakes containing honey and poppy seeds which are triangular, in the shape of Haman’s hat – in Yiddish they are called homentashn.
