What Do Jews Do: Purim 2008

Today starts the Purim cycle – I say “start” because the holiday doesn’t begin until Thursday after sunset but today – AH! Today is the Purim carnival at our synagogue. A parents’ craziness to behold. The kids – they have a great time or cry or both – it’s loud and bright and full of food and cheap prizes. And costumes – how can we forget the costumes!

But this year, as some of you may know, my youngest child has been sick for the last week and under no circumstances are we letting him enter the den of disease known as the Purim carnival – where there are literally hundreds of kids bouncing around in inflatable bouncy contraptions and playing with the same beanbags – over and over and over. You get the picture.

So my husband bribed my kids: Horton Hears a Who in exchange for the Purim carnival. Now, this really isn’t that bad a deal because on Thursday, we’ll go to our synagogue and celebrate for real – costumes and the telling of the Megillah and the story of Esther and the whole…well…Megillah as they say. (For anyone who remembers that I participated in a Latke v. Hamantashen debate at Chanuka time last December, I represented the Hamantash and won – it’s a triagular shaped pastry with different flavored fillings – chocolate, fruit, prune – yeah, prune – it’s got some significance – don’t ask me what. Anyway – this is the holiday it accompanies.)

Do you have Purim memories, or nightmares to share?! Please do.

And here is my 2007 What Do Jews Do: Purim which includes a link to Purim 2006 too.