Purim is definitely one of my favorite holidays. It’s a lot of fun for the kids, but it can be fun for adults too! Purim celebrates the story of Queen Esther, who saved the Jewish people from annihilation by the decree of Haman, who was an advisor to the king. As part of the Purim celebration, people dress in costume, and we are commanded to hear the story of Esther, give out gifts of food, give charity, and partake in a festive meal.
It all started the week before Purim, when we helped to put together the gift bags that our synagogue gives out to its members. We helped pack 150 of them!
Next up was the day the kids could wear their costumes to school for the carnival:
That afternoon, we put together the gifts we planned to give to our friends.
On the day of Purim, we were very busy with lots of celebrations, and we listened to the story of Esther read through two times.
After that, there was a magic show!
The boys both won emoji pillows.
They also decorated cookies.
I finally got pictures of all three of the kids together.
We received some gifts of food and we went out to deliver some gifts too.
And our friends came by to give us gifts – we had to get a picture with our other friend Hermione!
Finally, we went out to enjoy a festive meal with more friends.
And we got to see a Wild Bird Show!
So, I think you can see why this holiday is so much fun!