Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar, which is usually in March.

In Hebrew, the word for “lots” is “pur”. This is where we get the word “Purim”, which refers to the lottery that Haman used to choose the date for the massacre.

During the holiday, the story of Purim is read out in synagogue directly from the book of Esther – also known as the Megillah, which means scroll. In the synagogue, the book of Esther has its own scroll (see page 5 for an old one).

When the story is being read out in synagogue, people boo, hiss, stamp their feet and swing rattles whenever the name of Haman is mentioned. The purpose of this custom is to “blot out the name of Haman.”

It is a commandment to eat, drink and be merry on Purim. People dress up in costumes, perform plays and throw parties.

Another commandment at Purim is to give gifts of food or drink, and to make donations to charity. One common treat at this time of year is a cookie called hamentaschen (Haman’s pockets). These are triangular, fruit-filled cookies that are supposed to represent Haman’s three-cornered hat. You can see them here.