Purim will be here before you know it. In this guide, we discuss how this wonderful festival is celebrated around the world.

How Purim Will be Celebrated Around the World

Practitioners of the Jewish faith celebrate several holy days and sacred holidays throughout the year. These include things like Hanukkah and Passover, special occasions that give friends and families the chance to get together.

Purim is a Jewish holiday that will take place on the 23rd and 24th of March this year. Let’s review the history of the Purim and discuss how it will be celebrated by Jewish people around the world.

What is Purim?

According to the Hebrew calendar, Purim is celebrated annually on the 14th of Adar. Using today’s modern calendar, this means Purim is usually held in early spring or late winter, with the exact date changing every year.

The history of Purim dates back to the 4th century BC. During that time, Jewish people were subjugated under the Persian Empire. The empire’s Prime Minister, Haman, managed to convince the Persian King Ahasuerus that Jewish people should be wiped out, and they decided to carry out their plans on a date set by Haman, the 13th of Adar.

Under the leadership of Mordechai, the Jews of the Persian Empire resisted and eventually defeated their enemies. To celebrate their victory, Mordechai and his men celebrated and sat down to a feast on the following day, the 14th of Adar.  

To commemorate this historic achievement, Jews around the world celebrate Purim every year. Read on to find out more.

A Fantastic Feast

One of the most important parts of Purim celebrations, and often the part that most look forward to, is the feast. Just as Mordechai and his men feasted after their victory thousands of years ago, so too do Jews around the world sit down to feast every Purim.

Tables are decorated with beautiful ornaments and tableware, such as those you can find at the Israeli Center of Judaica, and the food on offer is as varied as it is delicious. Some of the food traditionally served at Purim includes poppy seed pastries called hamantaschen, kreplach and stuffed cabbage.

Don’t forget the wine! Purim is a time for celebration, the perfect opportunity to open a bottle or two.

Giving Gifts

As with some other Jewish holidays, the giving of gifts is another important aspect of Purim.

One of the reasons Haman gave to justify his persecution of the Jews was that they were a divided and fractured community. By giving one another gifts on Purim, Jewish people are proving Haman wrong.

Traditionally, people give food to friends and family on Purim, but there’s nothing wrong with gifting a friend a bottle of wine instead. There is also a tradition of giving a donation to the poor on Purim, again a mark of how united and caring the Jewish community is.

Conclusion

Purim is a global celebration that all Jewish people look forward to. It is celebrated in slightly different ways around the world. For example, in Germany, they light candles, while in other places an effigy of Haman is burned. However, all Jewish people commemorate Haman with a magnificent feast and lots of drinks, and the festival helps bring together the entire Jewish community.