Since the time of Esther and Mordechai, the holy day of Purim has held a distinct place on the Jewish calendar. The dates of the festival are clearly stated in the book of Esther, although there has been some adaptation over the years. The date chosen by Haman for the destruction of the Jews was the thirteenth of the biblical month of Adar. To remember the somberness of that time, the traditional Jewish community begins a fast that day every year, from sundown to sundown. This also recalls the time when Mordechai and Esther began a three-day fast as they sought God’s guidance (Esther 4:16). Because of the mighty deliverance on that day, the joyful celebration of Purim begins at sunset on 14 Adar and continues through 15 Adar. The second day is often called Shushan Purim because the Jews celebrated for an extra day in Persia (Esther 9:18).

As the book of Esther indicates, Purim is to be a time of great rejoicing by “feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor” (Esther 9:22). Each of these components is integrated into the modern celebration of Purim.

Feasting is remembered through a festive meal (called Seudah) with family and friends, or at the synagogue. This takes place in the afternoon of the first day of Purim. The spirit of feasting continues throughout the entire period.

As with other Jewish holy days, there is traditional food that has symbolic significance. In the case of Purim, it is the delicious hamantashen cookies. These are triangular and stuffed with jam or some other sweet filling. Hamantashen, a German/Yiddish word, can mean “Haman’s pockets” or, as the Hebrew (Ozney Haman) says, “Haman’s ears.” These interesting treats remind people of the victory over this awful antagonist.

The “rejoicing” aspect of Purim is seen in other elements. Along with the joyous feast of this holy day, the central focus in the synagogue service is joy. Because the history of Purim is found in story form, the scroll of Esther (Megillat Esther) is chanted in Hebrew as a dramatic way of recounting the events. This takes place on the first evening of Purim, and may be accompanied by a dramatic reenactment called a Purim Shpiel. Here the rejoicing becomes full-force. As the scroll is read, the villain, Haman, is vigorously booed at every mention of his name. To blot out his name, noisemakers called groggers are used, sometimes at a deafening volume! By contrast, every mention of the hero, Mordechai, is followed by a thunderous cheer.

Purim is one of the few synagogue holy days when normal decorum and seriousness are waived in order to enter into unrestrained joy. Through the reading of the Megillah, the shpiel and the party atmosphere, the true joy of deliverance is felt. Rabbinic tradition goes so far as to say that one should partake of the joy and drink until one does not even know the difference between Haman and Mordechai (Megillot 7b)! This attitude is extreme, but it does illustrate the great joy associated with the Feast of Purim.

As written in the Scriptures, Purim is not only to be a celebration for the redeemed Jews, but also a time to send gifts to the poor of the community (Esther 9:22). The Hebrew term mishloach manot is often translated shlach manos in Yiddish, meaning “sent portions.” These shlach manos boxes may include food, sweets and hamantashen. It is one of the ways Jewish people are reminded to help those who are less fortunate.

Some rabbis note a messianic aspect to this holy day. Being a day of deliverance and rest from one’s problems, Purim was naturally related to the greater day of rest in the days of Messiah. As one commentary relates:

The Patriarch Jacob had longed to institute that every day of the week be like the Sabbath of messianic times—totally saturated with the holiness of that Sabbath—but he was unsuccessful, for it was premature. He was successful, however, in that his descendants would be able to experience some taste of this messianic Sabbath even during the week, at such times as Chanukah and Purim (Sfas Emes, as quoted in the Artscroll Series book on Chanukah, p. 107).