Purim is all about the story of Esther, a Jewish queen who saved her people from the evil plans of Haman, an advisor to the Persian king. The holiday is celebrated with costumes, food, and lots of noise-making. This year, Purim takes place March 6 and 7.
During Purim, people dress up in colorful costumes, eat triangle-shaped pastries called Hamentashen (also spelled hamantaschen, and variations between the two) — there's some thought the shape is meant to resemble Haman's hat — and make noise with groggers (noisemakers) every time Haman's name is mentioned during the reading of the Megillah (the biblical book of Esther).
So, whether you're a kid or a kid at heart, Purim is a time to let loose and have some fun. Just remember — when it comes to Purim, the louder, the better!
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Basic Hamentashen recipe
From Merri Cohen
Hamentashen cookies are crunchy and crumbly with just the right amount of sweetness. Use a variety of fillings to make a beautiful platter! Ideas on what to use include apricot, cherry, or raspberry preserves, prunes, chocolate chips, or Nutella.
- 4 cups of flour
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- Filling of choice
Directions:
- Sift together dry ingredients. Work in butter to dry ingredients.
- Add the eggs and orange juice. Mix all. The ingredients should be stiff and difficult to mix.
- Knead with your hands (the mixture should not stick to your hands. If it does or if it looks wet add a little more flour)
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- After refrigerating, roll dough onto a floured surface. You want it to be between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch typically.
- Use a cup or glass to make circles in your dough (about a 6-inch circumference).
- Add about a teaspoon of your choice of filling in the center of each dough circle.
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9. Fold three sides up to make it look like a triangle. Make sure most of the filling is in the dough. Seal the sides tightly!
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10. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Here's another fun project to do with the kids for Purim. The noise maker or gragger is a classic Purim prop used during the reading of the Megillat Esther (Book of Esther). Each time the name of the evil Haman is mentioned, shake your gragger to drown out his name. The reading takes about 1/2 hour, and during that time children who are old enough to come to the reading must sit quietly so that everyone can hear every single word of the story. So listening for Haman's name gives everyone a reason to pay attention!
You'll Need:
- Plastic cups, any size
- Electrical Tape
- Beans to fill the cup
- Gold stickers
- A popsicle stick (you can make these without the handle too)
- Hot glue gun or other tacky glue
How-To:
- Fill one of the cups about 1/4 full with dried beans or anything else you have on hand that will make noise when shaken.
- Attach the popsicle stick to one cup with hot glue, and then join two cups together with hot glue.
- Decorate the cups with electrical tape and stickers
- Enjoy making lots of noise on Purim!
