Purim

Purim: About the Holiday

The holiday of Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of Adar.  Each year, the story of Purim is recounted in the Book of Esther, whose heroine plays the leading role in saving her people from a massacre planned by the book’s villain, Haman.  Literally meaning “lots” in ancient Persian, Purim was thus named since Haman had thrown lots to determine when he would carry out his diabolical scheme, as recorded in the Megillah (book of Esther). The holiday is traditionally celebrated with wild abandon — costumes, drinking, feasting, revelry — and by reading the megillah and giving gifts to friends and the poor.