Purim

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Purim is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the 14th of Adar. It celebrates the story of the nations salvation over 2 millennia ago. It starts tonight at sundown, and goes to March 1st most places, but March 2nd in Jerusalem. The name of the holiday (Purim) translates to lots, which refer a part in the story.

Story of Purim

In the 4th century BCE (BC to us older folks), the Persian empire was expansive, and included the land where the Jewish people lived. King Ahasuerus had his wife killed for not following his orders and organized a beauty pageant to find his next wife. Esther, a Jewish girl, caught his fancy and became his wife, refusing to tell her nationality.

Haman, was the King's Prime Minister, and asked the king to order the death of all Jews. His reason, Mordechai, Esther's cousin, refused to bow down to him. The King agreed. The date, 13th of Adar, was chosen by a lottery.

Mordechai asked his fellow Jews to repent, fast, and pray to God. Esther asked both the King and Hamman to a feast. At the feast, she revealed the fact that she was Jewish. The King order the death of Haman, and chose Mordechai to take Haman's place. The Jews were granted the right to defend themselves from those still desiring the massacre, and killed many trying to kill them on the 13th of Adar. The following day, the rested and celebrated.

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How Purim is celebrated

Jews have several traditions when it comes to celebrating Purim. Many go to the synagogue to hear the Megillah (aka the Christian "Book of Esther") read in it's entirety. Both on the night of Purim, and the following morning. Noisemakers can be used whenever Haman's name is mentioned in the reading.

Other traditions include: giving to the needy (Matanot L'Evyonim), sending gifts of food to friends (Mishloach Manot), feasting on Purim day (the 14th of Adar, 15th in Jerusalem), special prayers, and a masquerade.

There are also several tradition to prepare for Purim. Examples are: reading the Zachor, the Fast of Esther (day before Purim), and giving 3 coins in 1/2 denominations (ex. half dollar coins) to charity (Machatzis HaShekel).

Some ancient walled cities (including Jerusalem) celebrate Purim on the 15th of Adar (Shushan Purim). They do so to celebrate the battle at the walled city of Shushan, where the battle extended an extra day.

Sources

• www.chabad.org

• The BBC's page on the holiday
• There's also plenty of information on chabad.org
• Information on the Fast of Esther at chabad
• Judaism 101's site
• My Jewish Learning's site
• Reform Judaism's site includes recipes

Valentine's Day

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Today is Valentine's Day. Since anybody reading this likely already knows the day's traditions, I'll focus on the history of the holiday.

From what I can find, the exact origins of Valentine's Day are lost to history. However, it likely comes from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia in February. Lupercal began with a sacrifice of male goat(s) and a dog along with spreading the blood from the sacrifice onto 2 nude Luperci. (Male goats were symbols of sexuality.) Then, the actual feast. After the feast, the Luperci cut strips from the hide of the sacrificed goat, ran around nude (or nearly nude), whipping women with the strips. At some point, men drew the names of local women to find out who they'd be coupled to for the duration of the festival, sometimes longer. Over time, Lupercalia's nudity was replaced with everybody being fully clothed.

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In the 3rd century CE (AD to us older folks), there's a tradition stating that Emperor Claudius II executed a man named Valentine on 14 February after Valentine tried to get Claudius to convert to Christianity. There's another legend stating that Claudius had 2 men named Valentine executed on the 14 February, but in different years. Despite the lack of records confirming the legend, Valentine was made a saint by the Catholic church. I couldn't find a date in my quick search though. However, Pope Gelasius outlawed Lupercalia and declared 14 February Valentine's Day in the 5th century CE.

Valentine's Day was romanticized by both Chaucer and Shakespeare in their writings. During the middle ages, the tradition of handmade cards became popular. During the Industrial Revolution, factory made cards were first created and gained popularity.

My Sources

• History.com - Lupercalia and Valentine's Day
• NPR piece by Arnie Seipel

To finish this off, here's a map with the countries that celebrate Valentine's Day in pink.