"Purim celebrates the downfall of a man who wished to wipe out the Jewish people. The Megillah-the Book of Esther, which is read on Purim, says to keep the 14th of Adar (the night of March 21 in 2000) as a day of joy and happiness". Celebrating Purim

Many years ago after the Jewish temple was destroyed and the Jews were scattered around the world there was a bad but powerful leader with a long strange name Achashverosh in English Ahazu'irus. He lived in his palace in Shushan the capital of Persia.

Achashverosh decided to celebrate his third year in power by making a huge party and inviting hundreds of guests. At the party he and his guests got rather drunk. The king decided he wanted to show off his pretty wife and he called for Vashti to join the party. She refused to come because the men were so drunk. The king became very angry and he sent Vashti away and she was no longer his queen.

The king was lonely without a wife so he decided to hold a beauty contest to look for a new queen. The king's servants brought young beautiful girls from all over the world so he could chose a new queen. One of the most beautiful young ladies who came was Esther the Jewess. She was an orphan who was brought up by her uncle Mordechai who was an important and respected Jew, and one of the king's ministers. When the king saw Esther he immediately fell in love and chose her to be his new Queen

The king immediately fell in love
with the beautiful Esther.

Achashverosh did not know that Esther was Jewish and Esther did not tell him. At that time the king had a very bad and wicked prime minister called Haman. He was an arrogant and proud man and made everyone bow down to him. Everybody listened to him except Mordechai the Jew, Esther's uncle, who said he would only bow down before God. This made Haman very very angry. It also made Haman hate all the Jewish people. Haman decided to kill all the Jewish people on one day. He chose the day they would all be killed by making a lottery with all the days of the year. (In Hebrew Purim is a lottery). The terrible day was to fall on the 13th of Adar.

Haman went to the king and asked permission to kill all the Jews and Achashverosh, who was not a good guy agreed. When the Jewish people heard this terrible decision they fasted and prayed for three days. But Mordechai had a better idea. He went to Esther and asked her to go to the king and cancel the order. Esther was very scared of the powerful king because she knew he did not like the Jews and also because Haman had a strong influence on him.

She fasted a whole day before she went to him. When the king saw her he pointed his scepter at her and said he was pleased to see her and that he loved her so much that he would even give her half his kingdom. She only asked that he and Haman would come to a party she was making for them.

That night the king couldn't sleep and so he asked one of his servants to read him from his book of memories. (His daily journal). The servant read him a story long forgotten of how Mordechai the Jew had saved his life when he discovered two of the king's guards planning to poison him. The king suddenly remembered that he had never rewarded Mordechai for saving his life.

The following morning Haman came to the palace to tell the king about a tree he had prepared to hang Mordechai on. Before he even had time to tell him the king asked him what he should do to reward and honour a special man . Haman was sure the king was talking about him.

He said " The man should be dressed in clothes of splendor and should ride a royal horse in the streets of Shushan the capital and one of the king's ministers should lead the horse and proclaim ''This is how we reward a man whom the king honours".

The origin of the word `Pur' would seem to be Persian. As written in the Book of Esther, it means a "lot". The festival is called Purim because of the lots cast by Haman. PURIM: The Source & Meaning of the Term

Haman nearly fainted when the king said what a good idea and so shall be done to Mordechai the Jew, but he could not refuse. He had told his wife to look from the top of her house into the street to see him being honored he thought that Mordechai would lead him on the horse. Mrs. Haman did not know that in the street below it was her husband leading the horse and Mordechai on it and she emptied her rubbish from the dustbin on to Haman's head.

That evening Haman and the king went to Esther's party and again the king promised Esther anything she wanted. She told him that she was Jewish and that Haman planned to kill all the Jews.

That evening the king went
to Esther's party.

Achashverosh was furious that Haman planned to kill the Jews, which included his beautiful Queen Esther, and her Uncle Mordechai who had saved his life. He cancelled the order and the Jews celebrated by hanging the wicked Haman and his horrible seven sons.

After that every year on the l4th of Adar the Jewish people celebrated Purim, the day they had been saved, and they sent gift baskets of food (mishloach manot) to their friends filled with special little cakes called Ozney Haman Haman's ears. The children especially enjoy the fun because they dress up and make a terrible noise with something called a gragger every time they hear the name Haman. Click on the 'gragger" graphic on the right to hear the sound.

The Megillah of Esther is read in the synagogue &:
children make noise when they hear the name "Haman".