How To Explain Purim to Kids and Ways To Celebrate the Jewish Holiday

When you think of a Jewish holiday, what holiday springs to mind?

Hanukkah? Passover? Yom Kippur?

Most people don't think of the small but mighty holiday of Purim, but they should. It's got everything a great Jewish holiday should have. There's an inside joke that most Jewish holidays follow a certain formula: They tried to kill us. They failed. Let's eat. Purim has that and more! It's often described as a Jewish springtime version of Halloween. Though Purim is much older than Halloween—the celebration dating back to at least the first century BCE.

Purim Has a Lot to Celebrate

• Costumes for kids and adults
• Exciting retellings of the story of the Book of Esther
• Noisemakers
• Hamantaschen! (delicious triangular cookies)
• Yummy food gifts
• Indulging in food and wine (for adults) and fun

What Is Purim?

Purim is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the bravery of Queen Esther, the secretly Jewish wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia. The story is recounted in the Book of Esther and read in a special scroll called the Megillah.

Esther's cousin, Mordechai, uncovers a plot being hatched by the King's viceroy, Haman. Haman was annoyed that Mordechai would not bow down to him (typical narcissist), so Haman planned to have Mordechai and all the Jews in the land executed. In order to stop Haman's evil plot, Mordechai urges Esther to tell the King that she is Jewish and to reveal what Haman has been up to behind the King's back.

Queen Esther puts herself at great risk on behalf of the Jewish people. She cannot assume that the King will be pleased that she kept a secret from him, nor that he will call off the impending slaughter. Luckily, the King takes his wife's words seriously, and Haman is then hanged for his misdeeds.

During the reading of the story, every time the name Haman is said, the room of listeners explodes with loud booing and the sound of special noisemakers which kids particularly enjoy. (Word to the wise if your kid attends a Purim celebration: get the grogger [noisemaker] out of their hands before they get into the car later. You'll thank me.)

Some synagogues will read the entire story in Hebrew, some in English, and some will perform a play based on the Purim story, called a spiel. These are often written by congregants and acted out with costumes, and they're kitschy and over-the-top. Last year's favored spiel theme was to use the music of the Disney hit movie Encanto to retell the story (one that got the spotlight was from The Maccabeats and their parody "We Don't Talk About Haman").

Other past memorable parodies have included "Purim Shark" to the tune of "Baby Shark" and "Purim Song," a "Raise Your Glass" parody.

There's even a Drag Queen Purim Storytime!

When Is Purim?

Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar, or on the 14th day of the month of Adar II if it is a Jewish leap year. In 2023, Purim begins on the evening of March 6 and continues to sunset of March 7. Purim can, from year to year, land anywhere from late-February through late March.

How to Involve Kids in Your Celebration

Make hamantaschen

One of the easiest ways to enjoy Purim is to make hamantaschen. These triangular cookies (shaped to resemble Haman's hat) are a crowd-pleaser, and kids can help making them, too! I'll share my favorite recipe in a little bit. Traditional fillings are poppy seed, prune, and apricot, though there are as many variations as there are Jews. My family always demands some traditional flavors, as well as Nutella and raspberry.

Give gifts

It is traditional to give food gifts to other community members on Purim to make sure that everyone has something festive to eat. These gifts are called Mishloach Manot, and must consist of at least two different types of food. Kids love being sent to deliver these packages to their friends' houses, and being given packages in return. In short, lots of sugar changes hands and ends up in tummies. It's also traditional to generously give money to charity.

Attend a carnival

Many synagogues or Jewish communities will host Purim carnivals. Imagine your typical school carnival atmosphere with lots of games and prizes, kids (and many adults) dressed up in costume, as well as snacks. When I worked at a synagogue, we even had many non-Jewish families who came to enjoy the carnival and of course nosh on those yummy hamantaschen.

Listen to the retelling of the Purim story

Kids love to listen to the retelling of the Purim story, and while they may not understand as much if it's entirely in Hebrew, they will quickly learn the name Haman (boooo!) which they will wildly blot out with loud yelling and maniacal groggering (making noise with a special noisemaker). And who doesn't like to get a second use out of those Halloween costumes? That is, if your kids are still into the same things they were five months ago.

Purim has a little something for everyone, and honestly, many of the themes are timeless. There will always be bad guys (boooo!), we'll always have to stick together and stand up for people we love, and we could all do with some fun to lift us out of our dregs of winter doldrums.