Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A Jewish holiday commemorating deliverance from massacre: Purim is an annual Jewish festival that celebrates the survival of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from a plot to exterminate them, as recounted in the Biblical Book of Esther.

Usage

• Purim is observed by reading the Book of Esther (the Megillah), giving gifts of food to friends, giving charity to the poor, and enjoying a festive meal.
• The holiday is characterized by public celebrations, costumes, and noisemakers (called ) used to drown out the name of the story's villain, Haman, during the reading.

Examples

• Proper noun:
  • The community gathered in the synagogue to hear the reading of the Megillah for Purim.
  • Children dress up in costumes and eat triangular pastries called hamantaschen during Purim.

Advanced Usage

• "Purim spiel": A comical play or skit performed during Purim, often satirizing the story or contemporary events.
  • The youth group put on a hilarious Purim spiel for the entire congregation.

Variants and Related Words

• Megillah (n): Specifically, the Scroll of Esther read on Purim. Colloquially, it can mean a long, complicated story.
• Hamantasch (n; plural: Hamantaschen): A triangular filled pastry eaten on Purim, symbolizing the villain Haman's hat or ears.
• Shushan Purim: The name for the day following the main Purim celebration, observed in walled cities like Jerusalem.

Synonyms

• Feast of Lots: An alternate name for Purim, derived from the "pur" (lot) that Haman cast to choose the date for the massacre.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "The whole Megillah": (Idiom, from Yiddish) Referring to a long, detailed, or complicated story or sequence of events.
  • He told me the whole Megillah about what happened at the office. (This idiom originates from the practice of reading the entire Book of Esther on Purim.)

Noun

1. (Judaism) a Jewish holy day commemorating their deliverance from massacre by Haman