It is customary to celebrate Purim in four ways:
- Listen to the Purim story, The Book of Esther (Megillat Esther)
- Eat a festive meal.
- Give gifts of food to friends (mishloach manot)
- Give support to those in need (matanot l'evyonim) and to charity (tzedakah)
What does Purim mean?
"Pur” means a lot in Persian language. The plural form is Purim. The festival is named after this word as a lot of Jewish were saved.
The joyous day of the year
Purim is a holiday marked by joyous activities. We dress up in our favorite costumes, share gifts of food with friends, give charity to those in need, have a festive meal with family and friends, and read a story (PJ Library’s favorite activity) – specifically, the story of Queen Esther – together.
The story behind Purim isn’t exactly family-friendly though; some not-so-friendly highlights (more like lowlights) include Queen Vashti (Queen Esther’s predecessor) being humiliated by her husband, a murder plot against the king, the evil Haman conspiring to wipe out the entire Jewish people, and the Jews taking revenge by hanging Haman and all of his sons. Yikes.
It is in the Gemara (a commentary on the Mishnah) of the Babylonian Talmud that we are given more details and can clearly see the development of both the holiday and the stories associated with it. The discussion of Hanukkah is mentioned in Tractate Shabbat. Only three lines are devoted to the events of Hanukkah while three pages detail when, where and how the Hanukkah lights should be lit.
Hanukkah gained new meaning with the rise of Zionism. As the early pioneers in Israel found themselves fighting to defend against attacks, they began to connect with the ancient Jewish fighters who stood their ground in the same place. The holiday of Hanukkah, with its positive portrayal of the Jewish fighter, spoke to the reality of the early Zionists who felt particularly connected to the message of freedom and liberty.
Though the traditional holiday doesn't include opening presents, the holiday's proximity to Christmas has created a new tradition of buying presents for children. Another newer tradition in the United States is the baking of butter cookies or pretzels in the shape of Hanukkah symbols while relating the stories. Children delight in helping to make cookies and learning about traditions as they create and eat as well. Traditional Hanukkah holiday foods are not for the faint of heart since most are fried and/or loaded with cheeses. These traditional special treats, along with unconventional variations of Hanukkah recipes, are sure to please all, even if you're not Jewish.
According to Jewish law, Hanukkah is one of the less important Jewish holidays. However, Hanukkah has become much more popular in modern practice because of its proximity to Christmas. The traditional foods consumed during the Hanukkah holiday are symbolic of the events being celebrated. Most of these traditional foods are fried in oil, symbolic of the oil that lasted eight days. Others contain cheese to celebrate Judith's victory.
Three popular foods eaten on the Jewish holidays include loukoumades, pancakes, and latkes. Loukoumades are deep-fried puffs dipped in honey or sugar to represent the cakes the Maccabees ate, along with sufganiyot and zelebi. Pancakes are a traditional dish, serving as a reminder of the food hurriedly prepared for the Maccabees as they went into battle, along with the oil they are fried in as a reminder of the miraculous oil. Latkes were originally symbolic of the cheesecakes served by the widow Judith and later evolved to the potato/vegetable fried most known today. Many kinds of cheese and dairy dishes are consumed in memory of brave Judith.
Some of the very popular Hanukkah holiday favorites are challah, apple cake, hamantaschen, soft pretzels, beef brisket, and cream of artichoke soup. Although these foods are particularly significant during Hanukkah, anyone can enjoy them year-round.