Like Tu b’Shvat, which I wrote about last month, Purim also suffers from the image of being a pediatric holiday. Purim is fun. We give and get gifts of food, including lots of sweets (pun intended because Purim translates into “lots,” as in we draw lots to see who goes first). We wear costumes, we don’t have to sit still in synagogue, and we make noise during the Megillah reading. It’s a perfect holiday to engage children, so much so that we sometimes forget to refocus our celebration when we grow up.
And that’s a mistake. Reducing Purim to a children’s day of dressing up, eating sweets, and running around is a disservice to the complicated story and its potential lessons.
What’s the Story? The Purim story is a classical farce with exaggerated characters, mistaken identity, miscommunication, and happenstance. It includes elements of drunkenness, sex, political intrigue, human trafficking, rape, Jew hatred, and violence. It tells about dangerous political times, when a royal decree can incite common people to rise up in widespread violence against their neighbors. It really isn’t a children’s story at all. If it were made into a movie today, it would have to come with a trigger warning.
The characters are complicated. Is King Ahasuerus a drunken buffoon or a shrewd ruler? Is the banished Queen Vashti a disobedient wife or a strong, powerful woman who stands up for herself and sets an example for other women? Is Mordecai a simple man who adopted his unfortunate, orphaned cousin or a well-connected man, experienced in court politics and intrigue? And our hero, Esther. Is she a simple, beautiful girl playing to win a game of The Bachelor? Or a clever, powerful woman in her own right who maneuvers a dangerous situation to her own benefit? Only the villain, Haman, appears to be one-dimensional. He is evil – ambitious, arrogant, jealous, conniving, and hateful.
How Do We Celebrate? I already mentioned the costumes and noisemaking, both of which appear at the public reading of the Megillah (Scroll of Esther), usually in synagogue. Don’t lose sight of the reading part while you’re working on the other two. I have been to Megillah readings where the extravagance of the celebration and the constant roar of the congregation made it impossible to hear the recitation of the story. I learned to pre-read the Megillah earlier in the day and spend some time online, reading various explanations and lessons. In Israel, you can listen to the Megillah on the radio, on television, and in public places.
What About the Food? Hamentashen (hom-en-tosh-en) and Mishloach Manot (mish-low-ach mah-note) are two well-known food traditions for Purim.
Hamentashen are triangle-shaped pastries named for the same-shaped hat supposedly worn by the villain Haman. Traditionally, they are filled with sweet pastes, including poppy seed, fruit fillings, chocolate, and even peanut butter. More recently, I’ve seen savory variations such as sundried tomato, cheese, pesto, and tapenade.
Hamentashen are included in another popular tradition – Mishloach Manot – giving portions of treats to our friends and neighbors. These goodie baskets (or boxes or plates) often include fresh or dried fruits, juice or wine, and candy. They can be a few items in a brown paper lunch bag or lavish boxed gifts that cost hundreds of dollars.
There is a third tradition that often gets lost in the shuffle of costuming up for synagogue – the Seudat Purim (seh-oo-daht poor-eem) – the Festive Purim Meal.
To remember Esther’s preparation to address the king, we fast the day before Purim. Different from the more well-known Yom Kippur fast, the Fast of Esther goes only from the morning to this oft-forgotten festive meal in the evening. This year, Purim begins on Thursday evening, March 13, so the fast begins that morning and ends that same evening.
There are no specific symbolic foods associated with the Purim feast, like matzo for Pesach or apples and honey for Rosh Hashana. Instead, consider foods that symbolize the farcical nature of the story – foods that hide what’s inside and foods that resemble something other than what they are.
The first category – hiddenness – includes items such as egg rolls and Stuffed Cabbage. Turnovers of all kinds and ethnicities also work. Think about empanadas, pierogies, spanakopita, burekas, and kreplach.
For the second kind – tricky food – try this recipe for Candy Sushi. Or click here for a recipe for Fauxberry Pie and Pie Dough Fries. In the past, I served up meatballs and mashed potatoes to look like a banana split and cupcakes decorated to look like ears of corn.
Chag Purim Sameach! Happy Purim to you and your family!
Candy Sushi
I can’t offer exact measurements for these delightful bite-sized desserts. You have to buy a full bag or box of each ingredient anyway, so make as many as you need for your family. This is a super fun food craft project to get the kids involved. Add a couple of pieces to your Mishloach Manot; your friends and neighbors will love them.
Ingredients
Frozen Sara Lee Pound Cake (certified kosher dairy)
Container white cake frosting
Shredded sweetened coconut
Swedish fish or gummy fish
Fruit strips
Jellybeans or gumdrops
Directions for nigiri-style pieces
- Cut cake into rectangles about 2 X 1 inches
- Spread all sides except bottom with a thick layer of frosting.
- Press cake pieces into coconut to cover.
- Top piece with a fish gummy and wrap with a slice of fruit strip. Or top with a piece of red fruit strip cut to fit and tie with a thin slice of green fruit strip (apple flavor).
Directions for roll-style pieces
- Use a tiny cookie cutter or other round shape to cut the cake into 1-inch rounds.
- Spread all sides except bottom with a thick layer of frosting.
- Press top into coconut to cover.
- Wrap all around with a slice of fruit strip.
- Top with cut-up pieces of jellybeans or gum drops.
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