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Show and Tell with CanadaGirl is my favorite Meme. This has a special heart to it as what you share can be your great-grandmother's hand-stiched quilt, Your child fishing in the sewer (SoCalVal, I REALLY loved that one!) Curling Champions (who I couldn't be more proud of) or Birthday Cakes (I am in awe of). The mosaic of our Families come alive on Show and Tell with CanadaGirl.So come over and join us!

Purim is coming as quickly as Good Friday. Why? Because of  The differences in the Hebrew Calendar and Roman Calendar. This year we had a Leap day, the Hebrew calendar being Lunar, has a Leap Month this year. Passover and Easter are usually very close, this year they are a month apart. Purim is on Good Friday this year.

But this is a post about Purim, not Passover and not Good Friday.

Purim is not one of the Seven Feasts Commanded by God, but it is Biblical. On Purim, the WHOLE Book of Esther is read. For Children it is acted out. It is a day of costumes and laughter. ( Jewish childre do NOT celebrate Halloween, this is why they don't MISS it!) Doing a Play about the story of Esther is the children's favorite part. Why? Because they do NOT have to sit quietly and listen! No they shout Hooray when Mordechi walks on stage or someone says his name; they shout BOO and make as much noise as they can, spinning groggers (noise makers) banging on pots and pans and shouting BOO! every time Haman's name is mentioned. So loudly you are not to hear his name for it is Blotted out of heaven! And than there is beautiful Lovely Esther. The small town girl made queen. Everytime her name is mentioned or she walks on to he stage a collective AWE! with your hand on your cheek is heard. This truly is a child's celebration.

Dressing up for the beauty contest and wearing a crown while you are baking, what more could a Jewish princess ask for?

Like every Jewish Celebration (except Yom Kippur, that day you fast, but food follows) There is food ! And for Purim the food of choice is hamantachen. Why Hamantachen? Because they are cookies designed to look like Haman's Three-cornered Cap. Traditionally they have a poppy seed or nut filling, but any filling your children like is fine. Jams, Marmalades, even pie filling.

Other foods to go with this are finger type kiddie food ; fruits, veggie trays , nuts etc. This is a great time to pull out our fondue pot or chocolate fountain. Tortilla wraps with thinly slices cucumbers and humus is a favorite. Think Persian, stuffed dates, figs (fig newtons) .

Here is a recipe for Hamatachen

Hamantachen

2/3 cup Butter (softened)

1 cup  sugar

3 TBSP  honey

1 tsp Vanilla

3 eggs

3 cups all purpose Flour

1 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in Honey, vanilla and eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Very gradually add in the flour and baking powder to the sugar mixture.

gently roll into a ball , wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate for at least two hours and up to three days.

Filling can be pre-made poppy seed filling,  mincemeat or other pie fillings, thick fruity jams and marmalades or this traditional filling

2 cups pitted prunes

1 cup raisins

3/4 cup of walnuts

2 tsp grated lemon rind

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 TBSP sugar

1 egg lightly beaten

In a food processor or hand chopper, finely chop together prunes, raisins, walnuts, lemon rind and juice and sugar.

now let's make the cookies

flour the surface you will use to roll out your cookie dough. divide the dough in to quarters and roll each section to 1/8 thick. Now if you have a 2 1/2 inche circluar cookie cutter use that. If not, flour the rim of a drinking glass. Cut out the rounds and place on a greased cookie sheet, or parchment paper or silicone cookie sheet. Now add a heaping teaspoon of filling to the centers and pinch and fold the three side to make a three cornered hat. Brush egg over the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown makes about 4 or 5 dozen.

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Traditions we do not keep.

A tradition for the adults has to do with the following picture.

This way you can clearly see that this is a picture of Mordecai. Flipped upside down it is a picture of Haman!

The tradition.... get so drunk that you cannot tell Mordecai from Haman!!! Really that is the tradition!

Here is a link to explain this Talmad teaching, A Holy Drunk

I prefer to Boo and Hiss! After all I am only, 5.1. Right????

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Why we actually celebrate Purim....

These Days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants. Esther 9:28

The Word of the Lord says so!