On the evening of March 9, 2020, you will hear people in costume yelling “Booooooo” in synagogues all over the Washington Metropolitan Region (and the world). No, it isn’t a springtime Halloween or even March Madness, it is the Jewish holiday of Purim.
The Story of Purim with Esther
The story of Purim starts with King Ahasuerus (pronounced Achashverosh) of Persia banishing his Queen, Vashti, from her post because she refused to parade “her beauty” around a royal feast he was hosting. The King then went on a search throughout the kingdom for a new queen and he chose Esther. Unbeknownst to King Ahasuerus, Queen Esther was Jewish.
Esther was orphaned and raised by her cousin, Mordechai. Soon after his cousin became the Queen, Mordechai overheard two of the King’s guards plotting to assassinate King Ahasuerus. Mordechai foiled their plot and was put into the official court records for his service. Mordechai is important not only because of this relationship to Esther, but also because of his relationship with Haman, the King’s advisor/minister. Haman was furious that Mordechai would not bow down to him and therefore wanted to punish Mordechai and all of the Jewish People. Haman convinced King Ahasuerus to let him do as he pleased with the Jewish citizens of Persia.
He then came up with a plan to kill them all on the thirteenth of the month of Adar (the Hebrew calendar is based on lunar months as opposed to the solar months of the Gregorian calendar). Mordechai learned of this plan and implored Esther to ask the King for help. While no one was allowed to approach the King, Esther fasted and prayed for three days, and on the third day, she went to King Ahasuerus and invited him to a feast. (Some Jews still observe the Fast of Esther on the day before Purim).
At that feast, she invited the King to a second feast where she revealed both that she is Jewish and Haman’s plan to exterminate the entire Jewish People, including her. King Ahasuerus was enraged at this news and ordered Haman to be hanged on the gallows that Haman had built for Mordechai. After this, Mordechai became the second in command to the King and instituted a day of celebration on the fourteenth of Adar commemorating the fact that the Jewish People were saved. This celebration is known as the Jewish holiday of Purim.
Purim: An Important, Fun Jewish Holiday
Purim is not well advertised, but it is actually one of the most fun days on the Jewish calendar. People young and old dress in costume. Many people dress up as the characters in the story of Purim, but you will find all sorts of costumes. My youngest has dressed as sushi, a Whoopie Cushion and a Disney princess this year.
Many synagogues host a Purim carnival filled with games and prizes, often for smaller children, and a Purim spiel (pronounced shpiel it is a play that tells the story of Purim, usually in a funny/silly way) to celebrate the holiday. If you go into a synagogue on Purim (in costume or not), you will hear Megillat Esther/The Book of Esther. This is the telling of the story of Purim. During the Book of Esther, every time the congregation hears the name Haman, which is a lot, they “boo” at the top of their lungs and shake noisemakers called groggers. It is also common to have a festive Purim meal as part of the holiday.
Purim Gifts of Food
In addition to all of the celebrating, there is a tradition of giving gifts of food to friends and family and to the poor. The Book of Esther commands “the sending of portions one man to another, and gifts to the poor.” The gifts to friends and family are called mishloach manot, or more commonly known as Purim baskets.
The food that is associated with Purim, and often put in Purim baskets, are hamantaschen. These are triangle-shaped cookies that refer to Haman, the villain of the Purim story. There are several interpretations about why the cookies are in the shape of a triangle. Some say that they are the shape of Haman’s hat. In Hebrew, this Purim pastry is called ozney Haman which means Haman’s ears and refers to the fact that a punishment for criminals was to cut off their ears. Yum? Those are the two reasons I have heard for the triangle-shaped cookie, but in researching this post, I found out that the German word tasche means pocket and could refer to the money Haman offered to the King for permission to kill the Jews. Hamantaschen is a Yiddish word, and Yiddish uses a lot of German.
The Best Hamantaschen Filling
A big debate in the Jewish community is about the best hamantaschen filling. The oldest and most traditional filling is poppy seed. Poppyseed filling is like cilantro, you either love it or hate it. I love it, but if you are not used to it, I would recommend starting with something else. You can basically put any filling in hamantaschen. Many bakers use fruit fillings like apricot and strawberry. I usually make a variety of flavors, and the fastest one to go is almost always the dark chocolate (I use the Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips).
This year I am going to try Nutella and I saw a recipe that uses brownie batter as the filling that I need to taste. My Grandmother made the most delicious hamantaschen and I have wonderful memories of making them every year with my Mom. My Grandmother’s dough recipe is below. I hope you make both delicious treats and wonderful memories using this recipe.
Learn More About Purim
Purim is a time for celebration and community. Whether you identify as Jewish or not, Purim celebrations are open to everyone. PJ Library has a great list of family-friendly Purim activities in the DC area. You can also contact your local synagogue or Jewish Community Center to see what they are planning.
Chag Purim Sameach (Happy Purim)!!
Bonus Recipe
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