(But we had fun!)


Saturday we celebrated Purim.  It is supposed to be in the Jewish month of Adar... which was in March.  I believe the actual Purim date fell on Good Friday, or thereabouts this year.  It didn't work for us, so since we aren't Jewish, we took creative licence with the date. 

The Jews were commanded to remember Queen Esther's brave sacrifice each year.  We decided to make it a family tradition as well because it is a wonderfully rich story and a lot of fun.  

We began with baking.  Kendra and her daddy worked on bread for dinner: (This had no special Purim significance... we just needed bread.)

Everyone took turns helping me make hamentashen.  (Hamentashen are three cornered hat cookies that are supposed to represent Hamen's hat.)  If anyone knows where the tradition of a tricorn hat for Hamen came about (although I'm assuming it is a more Persian styled tricorn), I'd be eager to know.  It isn't in the scriptural account, but may have some historic basis?


While we bake we sing the Hamen's hat song. 

"His hat it had three corners, three corners had his hat, and had it not three corners, it wouldn't be Hamen's hat!"

Next Ken reads the entire book of Esther (which isn't long)  Here he is with the boys just before the reading.  I love their Batik frog outfits!

Then the children act out the story.  Here's Queen Vashti just before her banishment.

King Ahasuerus with his Queen Esthers (Yes, our version had twin Esthers...)

In the quiet of the afternoon the children colored pictures of Esther and the older girls did some word searches and other Purim activity sheets.  An Esther movie is also tradition here, and they munched hamentashen while watching. 

And finally we conclude the day with a feast of... ham and bean soup.  Yes, very inappropriate and entirely unkosher.  Usually I do leg of lamb or something, but um... well... uh...