Purim

13 Adar – 14 Adar 5785

At the Purim festival, the salvation of the Jewish people described in the Book of Esther during the reign of the Persian King Ahasuerus is commemorated. The Book of Esther reports that the government official Haman intended to murder all the Jews in the Persian Empire (Est. 3:9–13). However, this could have been prevented by the thoughtful intervention of the court official Mordecai and his adoptive daughter Esther. The specific date for this holiday on the 14th of Adar in the Jewish calendar year, according to the narrative, comes from Mordechai himself.

The modern form of the festival is heavily influenced by the Italian Carnival. It is therefore not surprising that a lot of alcohol is consumed, to the point where one can no longer distinguish between good and evil (bMeg7b). When reading the Book of Esther, one lets the name of the scoundrel Haman drown in the noise, thereby symbolically erasing his name. A significant role is played by the reversal of usual social orders. Thus, rabbis, politicians, and various population groups are depicted comically. Due to its exuberant and carnival-like character, the Purim festival is very popular among all Jewish communities.