Introduction

As part of the ongoing updates on religious observance, I would like to share the upcoming traditions of Holy or Great Week and Easter or Pascha.

Holy (or Great) Week is the Christian set of holidays that commemorate the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, beginning with Palm Sunday, running through  Jesus’ crucifixion and concluding with Holy Saturday. Holy Week is then followed by Easter.  Christians believe that Easter commemorates the date of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As a result, most Christians consider Easter to be the holiest day of the year. 

Dates

Easter and Pascha are what is known as moveable feasts. Moveable feasts vary in the calendar according to a fairly complex set of calculations tied to the first Sunday following the first full moon following the vernal equinox. 

For 2024, for Roman Catholic and Protestant Christian Holy Week began on Palm Sunday March 24, and culminates on Easter Sunday, March 31. 

In the Western traditions, these dates are figured on the Gregorian calendar (that is used in most of the secular world). In the Coptic, Oriental, and Orthodox traditions, these dates are figured on the Julian calendar. As a result, the dates for Easter in the Western tradition usually come four to five days earlier than the equivalent date for Pascha in the Eastern traditions. The two dates can even coincide, as they did in 2010, 2011 and 2017.  

However, this is far from the case for 2024 when Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Ethiopian Tewahedo and Coptic Easter is at its greatest difference -- in fact, over a month later on May 5. 

The reason for this great difference this year is that Western Christians date Easter on a system independent of the Jewish Passover while  the Orthodox, Ethiopian Tewahedo and Coptic Pascha always occurs on the first Sunday following the Jewish Passover (Pascha means "Passover" in Greek). The Hebrew calendar adjusts the lunar year (on which it is based) to fall roughly within the harvest seasons (which grow to fruition according to the solar year). To accommodate this difference, the Hebrew calendar uses a complicated reckoning to add a periodic leap month. Since the Hebrew calendar had a leap month this year, the two Easters differed by the length of that extra lunar month.

Because these come so much later this year, we will handle the customs and importance of Holy Week/Great Week and Pascha (in Eastern Orthodox and Coptic traditions) and Fasika (in Ethiopian tradition) closer to the date on which they will be celebrated.

Holy Week  


Palm Sunday

Entry of Christinto Jerusalem by Maximino Cereso

The first day of Holy Week is known as Palm Sunday to Protestants (and unofficially to Roman Catholics), as Passion Sunday to Roman Catholics (at least officially so since a formal name change in 1970).

Regardless of name, the holiday celebrates the triumphal entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem described in all four of the canonical Gospels.  

In three of the four canonical Gospels, the crowds cut branches to herald Jesus’ entry. For example, Luke 12: 13 reads: 

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, 
"Hosanna!" 
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Blessed is the King of Israel!"  

Many Christian traditions burn the fronds afterwards for use on Ash Wednesday of the following year. From this comes the tradition of processions with branches of some sort. 

Palm Sunday Procession Mount of Olives, Jerusalem

Among most Roman Catholics, the processions are usually with palm fronds, although among many Italian Catholic traditions, olive branches by themselves or mixed with palms are used. 

In Ireland (where palm fronds were typically unavailable), worshipers carried yew branches, which is where the holiday gets its Gaelic name of Domhnach an Iúir or "Yew Sunday."

In Latvia, pussy willows are used which is why in Latvian the holiday is known as Pupolsvetdiena or "Pussy Willow Sunday." Traditionally in Latvia, parents wake their young children up by lightly swatting them with a pussy willow branch saying "round and healthy like a pussy willow."

Some national customs have developed around the day.  In Wales and parts of England, it is customary to eat figs.  In Lebanon, Christians celebrate with the shanineh, a procession in the church in which children carry candles decorated with flowers and ribbons while sitting on their parents’ shoulders and being marched around the church.    In Italy, Palm Sunday is the traditional day for making up with those with whom one has quarreled during the year.  

Holy Thursday

The Thursday of Holy Week is known as Holy Thursday among Roman Catholics and most Protestant denominations.  It is known as Maundy Thursday among Anglican Protestants. Some Protestant churches (especially those of Scandinavian origin) use the term Sheer Thursday interchangeably with Holy Thursday.  Regardless of name, the holiday commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper, the celebration of the Passover Seder with the disciples.  

Among Germans – both Catholic and Lutheran – eggs are also dyed on Holy Thursday, although there the color is traditionally green. 

Many Roman Catholics (famously the Pope) and some Protestant sects wash each other's feet in recognition of this act of humility performed by Jesus at the Last Supper. 

Pope Francis washing feet on Holy Thursday

Among Filipino Catholics, it is customary to visit several churches as a way of keeping vigil as the disciples did when Jesus prayed at the Garden of Gethsemane.   The French practice the custom of the “flying bells” in which the church bells are prohibited from ringing until Easter, while children are told that the bells have flown away carrying away all the grief people feel.

Good Friday 
The Friday of Holy Week is called Good Friday among Roman Catholics and Protestants and as Passion, Holy or Great Friday among Eastern Orthodox. Regardless of name, the date marks the Crucifixion of Jesus on Golgotha (or Calvary) Hill in Jerusalem.  

This date is a very somber holiday for all Christians.  In many Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions, the cross is covered or various ornaments are removed from the church. Among many Lutherans, after Good Friday services, the congregants leave the church and seal the doors (symbolic of the entombment of Christ).  

Among some Roman Catholics, Good Friday is either a fast day or a partial fast day.  This often varies by nationality.  For example, among Catholics in Ireland (and thus many of Irish descent outside of Ireland), it is customary to fast except for three bites of bread and three sips of water (representing the Trinity).  

Bermuda kite

Bermuda is known for its annual kite-flying tradition. The famous Bermuda kites are flown only one day a year: on Good Friday. The hexagonal Bermuda kites usually feature colorful geometric patterns. Some of the kites make buzzing noises. Others are so huge that they may take more than one person to get them aloft. All of them are made with strings going around flat sticks nailed at the center that form the spokes of a wheel, and all contain very long tails. The kite-flying are symbolic of the ascension to heaven.

Other Good Friday national customs include setting a bonfire and burning straw effigies of Judas in Portugal and covering mirrors as a sign of mourning in Poland. In many Roman Catholic countries – notably in Latin America and the Philippines, Good Friday processions centered on carrying a life-size cross are paraded through the main street or central square.

Holy Saturday 

The Saturday before Easter is called Holy Saturday by Roman Catholics and most Protestants.  The holiday represents the day between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Among Roman Catholics and most Protestants, this is the day in which Christ died or rested in the tomb.  

Traditionally Roman Catholics abstain from meat but this tradition was stopped by the Pope in 1970. Among Roman Catholics and Anglicans, Holy Saturday is the only day in the year in which Mass is not celebrated. 

While variations exist as to the nature of what Christ did during this time, most Roman Catholic, Anglican, Calvinist (Reformed), and Latter Day Saints traditions attribute some form of Christ’s “harrowing of Hell” in which Jesus descended among the dead.  

Święconka

Among Polish Catholics, baskets of food including a butter lamb are brought to the church for a special blessing.  This service is called Święconka or "the Blessing of the Baskets."

In Roman Catholic, Anglican, Calvinist (Reformed) and Lutheran tradition, a holy vigil is held at night as Easter approaches. 

  

Easter Vigil, Chartres Cathedral

Easter 

Easter is the most important day of the Christian year.  This is the celebration in all traditions of the resurrection of Christ. In all Christian faiths, special services are held. Among Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and Methodists, the lighting of a Paschal candle is part of the service, representing the risen Christ.  

Opposition to National and Secular Practices

The national customs associated with Easter or Pascha are numerous.  It should be noted, though, that several fundamentalist Protestants sects such as (among others) adherents of the United Church of God International, Reform Adventism, and Jehovah’s Witness oppose national or secular practices on Easter for what they believe to be its pagan origins. This was also the official position of the Church of Scotland until the beginning of the 20th century.

Some Protestant sects object to the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs

These Protestant groups particularly object to the fertility symbols used in many North American and British celebrations – such as the Easter Bunny,  which they assert go back to the pagan Ostara holiday with its worship of Eostre from which Easter derives its name in most Germanic language countries, including English.  

Indeed, the etymology of the word "Easter" in English deriving from the pagan holiday Ostara has led some Protestant groups to call the holiday "Resurrection Day" in place of Easter.

They also object to the easter egg (or egg-shaped substitutions such as jelly beans) and Easter egg hunts, as having derived from the Persian worship of the fertility goddess Ishtar or other pre-Christian Persian traditions such as Zoroastrianism's Naw-Rúz

For more on Ostara, please see my earlier blog post at

http://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2012/03/ostara.html

For more on Naw-Rúz, please see my earlier blog post at

 
https://davidvictorvector.blogspot.com/2024/03/naw-ruz-nowruz-newruz-bahai-zoroastrian.html

It should be noted that those groups opposed to national and secular practices nonetheless believe in the holiday's religiously Christian subject matter, such as the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.  Their objections are only to what they believe to be national or secular practices.

National and Secular Traditions 

For a great many Christians, Easter’s various national and secular traditions are well-loved and honored. 

The Easter Egg

White House Easter egg hunt

In the United States, England, Wales and Canada, many secular traditions are widely practiced. Some of these have spread to other countries as well.  These practices include the coming of an Easter Bunny who hides or lays Easter eggs that children then collect in an Easter egg hunt.  Even the United States President has an official Easter egg hunt on the White House lawn. 

The giving of Easter baskets with small toys and candy (notably jelly beans, chocolate eggs and bunnies, and marshmallow chicks called Peeps) to children is traditional.  Sometimes, the baskets are hidden from the children who then must search to find them. 

Children meeting the Easter Bunny Howell, Michigan Nature Center

At restaurants, children can have Easter breakfast with the Easter Bunny (a person dressed in a bunny outfit).  Children may also visit the Easter Bunny at shopping malls, museums and parks.

Many cities have official Easter parades. Some of the best-known annual Easter Parades in London, New York, Baltimore, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Louisville, New Orleans, and Toronto.

Outside of North America, one widely practiced custom is the playing of some variation of the “egg-knocking” game.  People crack their Easter eggs against other people’s Easter eggs and the last person with an unbroken egg is supposed to have a year of good luck. Variations of this practice are common in Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Latvia, the Netherlands and Norway.

National Easter-Related Customs Around the World

Australia 

Australians celebrate Easter with the Easter Bilby (a long-eared native bandicoot) instead of a rabbit. 

In part, this is because the bilby is a local animal, but in part this is because Australians are less fond of rabbits than many other nationalities are. Australia has been plagued by rabbits which have destroyed crops and endangered native wildlife.  

England

Easter in England traditionally features Morris Dances. The first record of Morris Dances dates to 1448. That said, some have argued that similar dances actually predate Christianity and derive from pagan springtime dance rituals to frighten away the spirits of winter. 

 

Hot-Cross Buns

Easter is also marked by the eating of hot-cross buns. These are buns made of sweetened bread with an icing-filled cross cut over their top. The hot-cross buns also predate Christianity, with the cross formerly dividing the bun into the four quadrants of the moon, but repurposed to represent the crucifixion. A recipe for hot-cross buns can be found at
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hot-cross-buns-i/


France 

In France, Christians hug and kiss as the church bells are rung. This has particular significance as the church bells are prohibited from ringing from Good Friday through Easter. The bells (which children are told “flew away” to see the Pope on Holy Thursday) return with chocolate Easter eggs.

Israel
 

Pilgrims Walk the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem at Easter

Israeli Christians and Christian tourists to the Holy Land crowd Jerusalem to walk the Via Dolorosa (or "Way of Suffering"). This is the path believed to be the route Christ followed on his way to be crucified.

The pilgrims stop at each of the nine exterior Stations of the Cross, beginning at the Lion's Gate (also called St. Stephen's Gate) and ending at Golgotha (Calvary) Hill. 

There are 14 Stations of the Cross altogether but the last five are all within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Palestine

Many Palestinian Christians celebrate the day before Easter with a "Saturday of Fire" marking the belief that fire emanated from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (in contested East Jerusalem).  

Italy

Throughout Italy, as in France, people hug and kiss at the ringing of the church bells. Beyond that, dozens of local traditions highlight this or that city or town's Easter practices.  A few examples illustrate some of this.

Corse Rusticane, Merano, Italy

In Merano in Alto Adige/Südtirol each year on Easter Monday, the Corse Rusticane horse race takes place at the Maia Racecourse. This race is only among Haflinger horses (the local breed) and the riders wear the traditional outfits of the local towns and villages. Leading up to the race is a great parade of the Haflinger racehorses and of people dressed in traditional outfits.

Explosion of the Scoppio del Carro Florence, Italy

In Florence in Tuscany, people take part in the annual Scoppio del Carro (cart explosion), in which a massive two-story high cart is filled with fireworks and dragged by oxen through the city center. The Archbishop lights a dove-shaped rocket-firework which travels down a connecting wire to the cart. The tradition, begun in 1679, holds that the bigger the explosion, the better will be the coming harvest.

In another tradition in Tredozio in Emilia-Romagna, the town's four sections hold the annual Palio dell'Uovo or race of the eggs. 

These are just three of many such local traditions in Italy.

The Netherlands

Traditionally, villages in the Eastern portions of the Netherlands hold communal bonfires as part of Easter festivities. Each town competes with the others nearby to build the largest bonfire.

Dutch Paasbrood

Throughout the Netherlands regardless of region, people look forward to eating Paasbrood (Easter bread) which is a once-a-year treat made of sweetened bread and almond paste with lemon peel and currants or golden raisins. 

A recipe for Paasbrood can be found at: 
http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/dutch-paasbrood-3043

Latvia

The hanging of swings (and the swinging on them) is a traditional Latvian Easter custom. These are 

Latvian Easter Swing

usually giant swings large enough to hold unmarried couples and has its origins in rites for finding suitable marriage partners. The swings, however, are not limited to unmarried couples though, and are a great favorite among children. Swinging high is particularly a goal for individuals (rather than couples) as the folk tradition holds that the higher someone can swing, the earlier that Spring will arrive. The custom of springtime swings predates the coming of Christianity in Latvia.

Latvians also dye eggs as in other countries. One Latvian difference here, though, is the use of onion skins to do the dyeing. White eggs are submerged in an onion skin mixture. A short submersion produces a bright yellow egg; a long submersion produces a brown-colored egg. Traditionally, leaves and strings are attached to the eggs before submersion. When the leaves or strings are removed, patterns are left on the eggs. On Easter morning, family and friends engage in Easter egg matches.  Each person knocks his or her egg against one another's eggs. The egg that remains uncracked by the end is supposed to bring the owner good luck and good health for the year.

Sweden

Easter is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in Sweden, rivaling Christmas in its importance. As Elizabeth Dacey-Fondelius, writing in the English-language Swedish paper The Local, explains:

Easter celebrations and traditions for the secular Swede are nearly as sacred as Christmas to the Swedish culture. Even devout atheists pay respect to the long-standing traditional norms that the holiday dictates in Sweden. Easter is a big deal to the entire country. http://www.thelocal.se/3525/20110421

Swedish Påskkärringar

One uniquely Swedish Easter custom is that of the påskkärringar (Easter witches or hags). On the Thursday before Easter, children paint their cheeks, put on headscarves that tie under their chins and wear long skirts and aprons. Then, carrying their broomsticks, they go door to door among their neighbors asking for Easter treats  (much in the manner of North America's Halloween). On Holy Saturday, much of the country lights bonfires to hasten the påskkärringar on their way back to their secret witches' meadow at Blåkulla (Blue Mountain). In Stockholm, these bonfires are prohibited but the påskkärringar seem to make their way home before Easter in any case.

Swedish påskris

An additional custom fairly unique to Sweden is that of decorating with birch branches -- called  påskris. Swedes adorn the birch branches with brightly-colored feathers and hang decorated easter eggs from them. 

The påskris which now shows up in shops and on people's houses and porches are today fairly detached from their original purpose. At one time, undecorated birch branches were used to whip each other's backs on Good Friday to take part in Jesus' suffering on the cross. 

Conclusion

I hope that this has been worthwhile, and I welcome your comments or additions. As always, this blog is meant only to inform; there is no intention to indicate what is or is not proper or improper religious practice.

There are many customs and traditions for Easter that I have not included here. Please feel free to share your own in the comments section. 

 

Want To Read More?

Alikiviadis C. Calivas, "The Origins of Pascha and Great Week": http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith8504

CelebratingEaster.com:  http://www.celebratingeaster.com/traditions/

Easter World, "Easter Celebrations Around the World": http://www.dgreetings.com/easter/easter-world.html

Mary Fairchild, "What is Easter?" About.com, Christianity:  http://christianity.about.com/od/holidaytips/qt/whatiseaster.htm

Michael San Filippo, "Buona Pasqua! Easter in Italy" : http://italian.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/aa031401a.htm

New Advent, "Easter": http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm

Nortdstjernan.com "Happy Easter! A Swedish Easter: The symbols, the food, the traditions." http://www.nordstjernan.com/news/traditions/1167

"Baltic Tenacity" provides information of Latvian Pussy Willow Sunday: https://u.osu.edu/baltictenacity/latvia/

Clip Art Sources

Opening Happy Easter clipart: http://www.clipartpal.com/clipart_pd/holiday/easter/happyeaster_10282.html

Entry of Christ into Jerusalem by Maximino Cereso: http://www.servicioskoinonia.org/cerezo/dibujosA/19RamosA.jpg

Palm Sunday Procession, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem: http://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/21mount-olive-processionjpg.jpg?w=450&h=300
 
Pope Francis washing feet on Holy Thursday: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euronews.com%2F2023%2F04%2F06%2Fpope-francis-washes-feet-in-traditional-holy-thursday-easter-ritual&psig=AOvVaw3EiEf8bdgmqOe7DuoGW62N&ust=1711746696643000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCIisufbvl4UDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

Bermuda Kite: http://members.chello.nl/h.hagg3/Bermuda_Kite_3.htm

Święconka: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plik:%C5%9Awi%C4%99cone2007.jpg

Easter Vigil, Chartres Cathedral: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Vigil

Easter Bunny with egg basket clip art: https://d27fcql9yjk2c0.cloudfront.net/assets/3178348/lightbox/Easter%20Bunny.jpg?1299876470

White House Easter egg hunt: http://www.army.mil/article/55725/Fort_Meade_youth_hunt_for_Easter_eggs_at_the_White_House/

Children with Easter Bunny, Howell, Michigan Nature Center: http://howellnaturecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Easter-Bunny-Breakfast.jpg
Bilbies not bunnies: http://members.optusnet.com.au/bilbies/Easter_Bilby.htm

Hot Cross Buns: http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/traditional-easter-eats-around-the-world-117631

Pilgrims Walk The Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_8LaLTQ733hv9KDfUfJU2MXyxdlX6g1yjCKvE8SLwDFN64tEVo-CG6XlhRXahLEb6M6LeGD1GPyaf865-bW7eawCO3r3esTRIxXZB_G-G7YbVHhMZoRQl73gAqAez-CGmeRliqbPh_v-/s1600/JerusalemViaDolorosa1-800wH.jpg

Corse Rusticane in Merano: http://altoadige.gelocal.it/cronaca/2011/04/24/news/corse-rusticane-all-ippodromo-4033076

Explosion of the Scoppio del Carro, Florence: http://www.ultimateitaly.com/festival-events/scoppio-del-carro.html

Dutch Paasbrood: http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/dutch-paasbrood-3043

Latvian Easter Swing: http://www.mytravelkit.org/2010/04/happy-easter/

Swedish Påskkärringar:  http://www.thelocal.se/3525/20110421

Swedish påskris: http://www.nordstjernan.com/news/traditions/1167

Closing Happy Easter clip art: http://www.clipartpal.com/clipart_pd/holiday/easter/happyeaster_10285.html

Purim 2024

The evening of Saturday, March 23 (for 2024) marks the beginning of the Jewish festival of Purim.  As with all Jewish holidays, Purim runs from sunset to sunset, so the holiday closes at sunset on Sunday, March 24.Purim celebrates the story of the Biblical Book of Esther. This post first gives the background to the meaning of the holiday from the Book of Esther, then explains the way that the holiday of Purim is celebrated by Jews from around the world.

The Story of the Book of Esther

The Book of Esther recounts the saving of the Jews of ancient Persia from the plot of the vizier Haman to kill all Jews in the land. Haman had planned to kill all the Jews in Persia. He was angered because a Jew named Mordechai had refused to bow down before him.   
 

Marc Chagall's Esther (1960) Musée national Message Biblique, Nice

Mordechai’s niece was Esther (her Persian name; her Hebrew name was Hadassah). Esther became the queen of the Persian King Ahashueras (alternatively spelled Ahasueras). 

Mordechai had thwarted a plot on the king's life soon after Esther's rise to the throne, but the king was unaware of this and Haman disregards this obsessing instead on the fact that Mordechai refuses to bow down to Haman (because this is prohibited in his faith).  Outraged, Haman lays out plans for the slaughter of all Jews in Persia (at the time, home to most Jews in the world). Only Esther had the ability to thwart the plan; however, to do so, she would have to approach the king uninvited, an act that -- if it displeased the king -- carried the death penalty. Despite this, Esther risked her life to reveal that she was a Jew herself and that Haman’s plan to kill the Jews would mean her death as well. Purim is the holiday commemorating this.

Xerxes I, the Biblical Ahashueras

The Historical Setting

While some debate exists over who Ahashueras really was, he is generally ascribed as being Xerxes I who ruled Persia from 486-465 BCE.

At the time, the Persian empire was the largest empire in the world, stretching from present-day Iran in the east to Egypt in the west and covering the entire fertile crescent (modern Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel), Babylonia (present-day Iraq), all of Asia Minor (including what is now Turkey and Armenia), Bactria (including all of present-day Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as much of what is now Pakistan and Uzbekistan) and Thrace (including Macedonia and much of Greece and what is now Bulgaria).

The Persian Empire at the time of Xerxes I

The Question of Assimilation and Communal Loyalty

Aert de Gelder's Esther and Mordechai (1685) Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

The Book of Esther for Jews is a controversial book  to the extent that it centers on a highly assimilated Jew. Esther's name itself is one that reflects assimilation to the surrounding Persian culture, deriving as it does from the Persian goddess Ishtar (her Hebrew name is Hadassah). 

The Book of Esther is also the only book in the Jewish Bible that never once mentions God directly, a point that underscores the issue of assimilation.  Indeed, the central act of bravery in the book is that Esther might have saved herself by keeping her Jewish identity a secret while letting the Jewish people fall victim to Haman's plot. She is convinced to act only when her uncle Mordechai argues the point with her:

“Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther, 4:13-14

Esther, in turn, asks Mordechai to call a fast for all Jews for three days before the king, risking her life. 

Esther Before the King

Esther's decision is no small choice. Ahashueras had already dispatched of the previous queen for what was essentially a very small offense. Indeed, Esther is so afraid that she faints in his presence. This is the theme of Tintoretto's famous painting of Esther.

 

Tintoretto, Esther Before Ahasueras (1547-48) Royal Art Collection, Windsor

King Ahashueras, in response, asks why she has come and assures her that he will not be angry. By contrast asking her

"What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” Esther, 5:3

Esther before Ahashueras Illumination in Biblia Pauperum, Hesdin of Amien, ca. 1450

Instead of telling the king outright, she asks him to prepare a feast for Haman and which she and the king alone would attend. While there at the feast, she assures him, she will then give the king her request. 

When Haman was invited, he was overjoyed that he was being honored to dine with the king and queen alone. At the same time, his joy was dampened when he saw Mordechai sitting in the gate. At wife's suggestion, Haman orders a gallows to be built so that Haman can be hanged on the very day that he is going to meet with the king and queen. 

Ironically, the king during a bout of insomnia had been going over palace records and, just the night before, had read about how Mordechai had earlier thwarted a plot against his life and that nothing had been done to honor him. As a result, just as Haman approached the king to tell him about the gallows he had constructed, the king asked Haman for advice on how to honor a special man. 
 

Esther and Ahashueras (ca. 1240) Ste. Chapelle Cathedral, Paris

Thinking the man to be honored would be himself, Haman suggests that the man be led through the streets on the king's horse dressed in the king's clothes and so on. The king then surprised Haman by saying that Haman should do all that he had described for Mordechai, the man he wants to honor. 
 

Rembrandt's Ahashuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther (1660) Pushkin Museum, Moscow

Still fuming with anger over this affront in honoring the hated Jew, Haman then goes off that evening to the feast set for him by the king and queen. At the feast, the king turns to Esther and asks her finally to tell him what she requests and he will give it to her even up to half of his kingdom. 

Esther asks only for her life, saying that she along with all the Jews are to be killed by official order. In tears she explains that she would not have asked him had the order been only for enslavement. 

Enraged, Ahashueras asks her who is responsible for this and Esther tells him that it is Haman. The king then orders Haman and his family hanged on the gallows that Haman himself had built for Mordechai.. He then gave Mordechai Haman's position, and the Jews were saved and the kingdom well ruled after that.

Peter Paul Rubens,  Esther Before Ahashueras (1606) Courtauld Gallery, London

Differing Views of Esther's Heroism

For centuries, Esther has been revered as a heroine in both Jewish and Christian ideals. In Jewish ideal, she could have chosen to hide the fact that she was a Jew to save herself. That she did not but risked  everything to save her people is the source of her heroism. 

While Esther is similarly admired in Christian theology for this act of heroism, in Christian interpretation, she foreshadows the Virgin Mary who would plead for souls on the Day of Judgment. 

In current times, however, Esther's status as an ideal heroine has come under debate in some circles among both Jews and Christians. Considerable controversy exists over the nature of how Esther came to the throne. Esther had won the king's favor after winning an empire-wide beauty contest to replace the previous queen, Vashti, who had fallen out of favor with Ahashueras.

Nicholas Poussin's Esther Before Ahashueras (1640) The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia It should be emphasized that both because of both the fact that Esther was the epitome of feminine beauty (she won the Empire-wide beauty contest, after all) as well as the drama of her story and its religious ideal, Esther has been a very popular subject among the greatest masters of Western art.

In art historical as well as social terms, it is interesting to view how artists have depicted Esther over time to represent the ideal of beauty of their day.

In Sir John Everett Millais' Esther (1885)
the artist famously used the Emperor of China's
robe given to General George Gordon as a gift

Some of the artists who have depicted Esther include Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Filippo Lippi, Rembrandt, Artemisia Gentileschi, Nicolas Poussin, Antoine Coypel, Jan Lievens, Aedrt de Gelder, Peter Paul Rubens, Jan Steen, Gustave Dore, Sir John Everett Millais, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali and many others.

Jan Steen's Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman (1661
Cleveland Museum of Art

Purim Observances and Customs

 General Observances
 

Megillah scroll

On Purim, Jews around the world read the Book of Esther from a special scroll called a Megillah. Because Hebrew does not transliterate directly to English, the scroll is alternatively spelled with one "l" or two, with or without the final "h" and beginning "Ma" or"Me"). Whatever the spelling, it is the same thing: the Book of Esther.  Unlike the Torah scroll, the Megillah is a special second-handled scroll. 

Blotting Out The Name of Haman

While the Megillah is read at synagogues or temples to celebrate the holiday,  whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the readings, the listeners are supposed to drown out the evil man's name. As a result, the holiday is very noisy and festive.

A grogger

The Americas and Israel

In much of the world, including the Jews of the United States, Canada,  Latin America and Israel, celebrants use a special noisemaker called a grogger (or alternatively called a gragger or gregger) to blot out the name of Haman.  The grogger is a ratchet on the end of a stick, usually made of wood or sheet metal (put in recent times from plastic as well). Each time Haman's name is spoken, the ratchet is spun in a circle making a loud, clacking sound.

France

Among many French Jews, the noise to drown out Haman's name comes in the form of clacking stones together. On the face of the stone is written or etched the name of Haman. In this way, each time the stones are struck together, Haman's name is effaced. By the end of the Megillah reading, the name has been blotted out audibly by the sound but also visually erased on the stone.

Germany

Before the Holocaust, it was the custom of German Jews to light candles in the synagogue. A picture of Haman was drawn on one with his name written out and of Haman's wife Zeresh and her name on the other. The candles would be lit at the start of the holiday and the images of Haman and his wife would be effaced as they melted away.   

In a sad side note, the Nazi regime had a particular hatred for the holiday of Purim. Hitler believed that Haman was a great hero for having attempted the first genocide of the Jews, and he proudly saw himself as the successor. The Nazis made a point of using Purim as an occasion for the public killing of Jews. The anti-Semitic Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher proclaimed Kristallnacht as a payback for the death of those who plotted against the Jews in ancient Persia. Streicher, when he was sentenced to death for his crimes against humanity in the Nuremberg Trials, shouted out "Purim Fest 1946!"

Morocco

In Morocco, Jews bake a special bread called Haman's Eyes (and known alternatively as Einei Haman, Ojos de Haman or Khubz di Purim).  

Moroccan Haman's Eyes Purim Bread with Full Face of Haman

The bread is decorated with almonds and contains two hard-boiled eggs as eyes. The eggs are held in place with a strip of dough. It is customary to cut the bread to divide the "eyes" so everyone gets a piece of egg with their bread. 

In some cases, the bread is made into an entire head of Haman, replete with a full face and poppyseed beard (as in the version shown at left)
 

Moroccan Haman's Eyes Purim Brea

In other variations, the face is more something to imagine, with the eggs simply symbolizing the eyes of Haman (as shown at right).  

In either tradition, the eating of the bread is a means of effacing Haman's memory. It is often customary to provide pieces of the bread to the poor. A recipe for the full-face version of Moroccan Haman's Eyes bread can be found 

http://www.ou.org/shabbat_shalom/column/ojos_de_haman_the_eyes_of_haman/

Bukharan Jews (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan)

Uzbekistan had two distinct Jewish communities. The Ashkenazic Jews (who followed the same traditions largely followed in Eastern Europe) and the Bukharan Jews that were unique to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Bukharan Snow Haman

It was the custom of the Bukharan Jews at Purim to make snow Hamans. These Haman snowmen would be decorated with fruit peels and various pieces of garbage. At the end of Purim, the Bukharan Jews would light a bonfire and melt the Haman, to wipe out his memory.

At this point, it is probably worth noting that the Bukharan Jews were among the oldest Jewish communities outside of Israel, but for the most part no longer exist. Bukharan Jews traced their roots to at least the 6th Century BCE (to which the oldest Jewish ossuaries there date). Sadly, virtually the entire community has been displaced or destroyed, beginning in the 1990's and collapsing entirely in the last 10 years.

Uzbekistan had a large and ancient Jewish community for centuries. As late as 1989, there were still roughly 95,000 Uzbek Jews. With the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise in Uzbekistan of anti-Semitic Islamist movements culminating in 2005 with the Andijan Massacre, the population of Jews in Uzbekistan essentially evaporated. Today, there are less than 5000 Jews in Uzbekistan, almost all of whom live in and around Tashkent.

Dushanbe Synagogue destroyed by the Tajik government in 2008

Tajikistan also witnessed mass flight of Jews after an independent Tajikistan emerged from the Soviet Union. Before independence, there were roughly 20,000 Jews in Tajikistan, dating back at least to the 2nd Century BCE; today there are less than 100 Jews left in Tajikistan.The final destruction of the Tajik Bukharan Jewish community came in 2008. In 2008, the Tajik government razed the last active synagogue in Dushanbe along with the community's kosher butcher, ritual bath (mikveh) and Jewish schools. The Tajik government did this (without compensating the Jewish community in any way) to build the Palace of the Nation there. After the Tajik government destroyed the synagogue and other centers in 2008, the remaining Jews who were physically able to leave fled to Israel and the United States.

Algeria, Libya and Tunisia

Algerian, Libyan and Tunisian Jews had their own Purim traditions, largely lost today. Before the expulsion of the Jews from Libya and Algeria following the independence of Israel in 1948, these countries had very large Jewish communities. In 1948 there were 140,00 Jews in Algeria  and 38,000 in Libya. Today there are less than 100 Jews in Algeria and none at all in Libya. In Tunisia, where the Jews were not formally expelled but suffered considerable prejudice following the founding of Israel, the Jewish population shrank from 105,00 in 1948 to roughly 1,500 today.

In all three of these countries Jews would make an effigy of Haman out of rags and stuffed with straw. They would then light a bonfire and throw the effigy into the fire, beating it with special sticks brought for the occasion. After the fire burned down, they would throw salt and sulphur onto it and shout "Cursed be Hamand and Zeresh! Blessed be Mordechai and Esther!" 

In Algeria, the custom of lighting candles on Purim was also practiced, a tradition carried on today by some Jews of Algerian origin in France and Israel.

Globally Shared Purim Traditions

Hamentaschen

 

Hamantaschen

Throughout the world in a wide variety of countries (including most of the English-speaking world), Jews eat a special pastries called hamantaschen.  In Yiddish, the name means "Haman's pockets," but are supposed to be shaped like Haman’s triangular hat or Haman's ears. Inside the triangle are fillings such as apricots, poppy seeds, prunes or cherries among others.  An easy recipe for hamantaschen can be found on Purim on the Net website of Holidays.net at 

http://www.holidays.net/purim/goodies.html

The Whole Megillah

The requirement is to read the entire Megillah twice -- once on the eve of the holiday and once on the morning of the holiday. It is from this repeated reading coupled with the numerous interruptions of the noisemaking involved in drowning out Haman's name that the US English expression "the whole megillah" entered the language to mean an overly elaborate or extended account of a story. 

Drinking Alcohol

In many Jewish traditions at Purim, drinking alcohol is – rather uniquely for Judaism – encouraged during the festival.  This tradition developed so that the holiday specifically would not promote intolerance or celebrate the hating of the persecutor; as a result, the tradition is to celebrate to the point that one loses track of the “cursed Haman and the blessed Mordechai.”  The wearing of masks or costumes (akin to the US secular Halloween) also derived from this tradition of not being able to tell apart Haman from Mordechai. 

Costumes, Carnivals and Parades

Jewish children dressed as Esther for Purim

In many Jewish traditions, congregants – especially children – dress up in costume, most commonly those of the key figures in the story. Dressing young girls as Esther is particularly popular, although all figures in the story are common.  In some congregations, there is a Purim play (the Purim Spiel) acting out the story as well. 

To add to the festivities, many congregations hold a Purim carnival with games and other activities on the Saturday evening or Sunday following Purim.

Purim Parade in Ashkelon, Israel

In Israel, Purim is a time of costume parties and public celebrations, somewhat akin to the celebrations held for Carnival or Mardi Gras in Christian countries before Lent. Major parades are held in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ashkelon and many other Israeli cities on Purim. 

Matanot Le'Evyonim

Jews are required to give “matanot le’evyonim” or gifts to the poor on Purim.  Many Jews extend this to mean specifically the giving of meals or food to the poor. 

Additionally, in Jewish communities in many countries where Christmas is not widely practiced (e.g., Israel, Morocco, Yemen, Turkey, India), the Jewish community exchanges gifts on Purim rather than on Chanukah.

Conclusion

As with all of my posts on this site regarding religious holidays, this overview is in no way intended to suggest what is or is not proper observance. The sole purpose here is to inform. If you would like to share your own views of the holiday, please do leave a comment. I would welcome hearing from you.

Happy Purim!

David A. Victor, Ph.D. (he, him, his)

Professor of Management and International Business

College of Business
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197 USA

​Co-Author:  The 7 Keys to Communicating in Mexico: An Intercultural Approach

Co-Author: ​The 7 Keys to Communicating in Japan: An Intercultural Approach

​Co-Author: ​The 7 Keys to Communicating in Brazil: An Intercultural Approach

Co-Author: Conflict Management: A Communication Skills Approach

Author: International Business Communication

Editor-in-Chief, Global Advances in Business Communication Journal   

Want to Read More?

About.com "Purim": http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/Purim.htm

Alfassa, Shelomo, "Origins of Noise Making to Wipe Out the Evil Name on Purim," Judaic Studies Academic Paper Series, March 2008,  http://www.alfassa.com/paper_purim.pdf

Chabad.org "Purim": http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/default_cdo/jewish/Purim.htm

Holidays.net "Purim on the Net": http://www.holidays.net/purim/

Jewish Agency for Israel: "Purim Customs Around the World": http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Compelling+Content/Jewish+Time/Festivals+and+Memorial+Days/Purim/Purim+Customs+around+the+World.htm

Judaism 101 "Purim" http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday9.htm

Religion Facts "Purim" http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/holidays/purim.htm

United With Israel, "Colorful & Tasty Purim Customs Around the World." http://unitedwithisrael.org/tasty-colorful-purim-customs-from-around-the-world/

Clip art sources

Happy Purim opening image: http://jewishroots.net/holidays/purim/purim-holiday-page.htm

Chagall's Esther: http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/marc-chagall/esther-1960

Xerxes I: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/images/xerxes.jpg     

Map of ancient Persia: http://70facets.org/messages/2007/PERSIANEMPIRE.png

Aert de Gelder's Esther and Mordechai: http://www.bible-art.info/Esther.htm
Tintoretto's Esther Before Ahasueras: http://www.lib-art.com/artgallery/17354-esther-before-ahasuerus-tintoretto.html

Esther before Ahashueras llumination in Biblia Pauperum: http://www.bible-art.info/Esther.htm

Esther and Ahashueras window, Ste. Chapelle: http://www.wga.hu/support/viewer/z.html

Rembrandt's Ahasueras and Haman at the Feast of Esther: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_Harmenszoon_van_Rijn-_Assuerus,_Haman_and_Esther.JPG 

Peter Paul Rubens, Esther Before Ahashueras (1606), Courtauld Gallery, London:http://uploads8.wikipaintings.org/images/peter-paul-rubens/esther-and-ahasverus.jpg

Nicholas Poussin's Esther Before Ahashueras: http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/marc-chagall/esther-1960

Jan Steen's Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman (1661), Cleveland Museum of Art, https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.153

Millais' Esther: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Esthermillais.jpg

Megillah scroll: http://0.tqn.com/d/collectibles/1/0/K/z/3/101megillah.jpg

Purim grogger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Purim_gragger.jpg

Moroccan Haman's Eyes Bread with Full Face of Haman:
 http://www.ou.org/shabbat_shalom/column/ojos_de_haman_the_eyes_of_haman/ 

Moroccan Haman's Eyes Bread Without Full Face: http://www.secretofchallah.com/site/detail/detail/detailDetail.asp?detail_id=787059

Bukharan Snow Haman: http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/uploads/instagram/51dd96225b5111e2bccc22000a1f8cda_7.jpg 

Dushanbe Synagogue destroyed by the Tajik government in 2008: http://www.vosizneias.com/27506/2009/02/17/dushanbe-tajikistan-jews-concerned-about-fate-of-its-only-synagogue/

Hamantaschen: http://www.holidays.net/purim/goodies.html

Jewish children dressed as Esther for Purim: http://www.holidays.net/purim/costumes2.htm

Ashkelon Purim Parade: http://www.ynetnews.com/PicServer2/20022007/1037759/ashkelon1_wa.jpg