When Is Purim? All About the Festive Jewish Holiday, Its Meaning and How To Celebrate
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What to know about the Jewish holiday celebrated in March.
Get your party on, Purim is coming! The holiday is one of the most joyous and fun on the Jewish calendar, complete with everything from feasts to costumes to wine, all in honor of Queen Esther and her loyal cousin Mordecai rescuing the Jews from slaughter in the Persian Empire. When is Purim in 2023 and how is Purim celebrated? Get all the details on Purim, including when Purim will fall on a Friday, and get ready to have a great time.
When is Purim 2023?
Purim begins on the evening of March 6, 2023, and concludes at sundown on March 7, 2023.
What is Purim and how is it celebrated?
Purim is the celebration of Jews' salvation from slaughter by the Persian empire thanks to the bravery of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai (more on them later). Purim is one of the most fun celebrations of the Jewish year, complete with masquerades, noisemakers, feasts and plenty of wine.
One of the staples of Purim is the reading of The Megillah, also known as The Book of Esther once on Purim night (this year, that'd be the evening of March 6) and once on Purim day (March 7). When Haman's name is mentioned, it's customary to use noisemakers or simply stomp your feet to essentially blot his name out.
Other crucial parts of Purim celebrations include Matanot LaEvyonim (giving to poor or to charity) and Mishloach Manot (giving gifts of food to friends). A feast is typically held on Purim day (again, this year, that's Tuesday, March 7), beginning before sundown and lasting until, well, you're all too bloated and exhausted to continue. Kids often dress up in masquerade costumes to commemorate Queen Esther hiding her Jewish identity.
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Is Purim on the same day every year?
Purim doesn't fall on the same date each year because the Hebrew calendar isn't the same as the secular Gregorian calendar. In the Hebrew calendar, Purim is on the 14th day of the month of Adar, though some people and certain locations celebrate Purim on the 15th of Adar.
What food do you eat on Purim?
The biggest food and drink staple for Purim is actually wine! At a traditional meal, called Se`udat Purim, wine is a central part because it symbolizes that the Jews were actually saved thanks in part to vino. Hamantaschen, triangular pastries filled with fruit preserves (raspberry and apricot are popular options) or poppy seeds are popular; their name derives from "Haman's pockets." Kreplach, meat dumplings in soup, is also popular.
Other traditional Purim foods around the world include blintzes, challah with raisins and arany galuska (yummy balls of fried dough served with vanilla custard), as well as nuts, green vegetables, legumes, and seeds.
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How do you celebrate Purim 2023?
Your personal Purim celebrations are just that—personal. That said, Purim falls on a Monday night in 2023, so you may opt to keep it low-key (in case you don't have off of work Tuesday, for example), or you may embrace your PTO and go all-out with a festive Purim party, be it in person or virtually with loved ones. Treat yourself to a feast, rock a wig and masquerade, and don't forget to read the Megillah and be generous to those in need and those you love.
Is Purim like Halloween?
Because of the costumes and general sense of joy and fun associated with Purim, the holiday has been compared to both Halloween and Mardi Gras.
When was the last time Purim was on Friday?
Purim actually fell on a Friday as recently as 2021, when it was celebrated on Friday, Feb. 26. Purim will next fall on a Friday on March 14, 2025.
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How do you explain Purim to a child?
The Book of Esther has some dark elements: Matricide, genocide, antisemitism, war, potential alcohol abuse and the corruption of power, to name a few. As such, you can tell the basics of the story with a little sanitization until they're old enough to understand and not be too scared to hear it. A kid-friendly version of events is below, and of course, use your discretion depending on your own child's age, comprehension levels, and sensitivity to alter as you see appropriate.
King Ahasuerus gets rid of his wife because she didn't follow orders. His new wife, Esther, is Jewish, but King Ahasuerus doesn't know that.
Esther's cousin, Mordecai, finds out two people that work for the king want to hurt him. He alerts the palace, and King Ahasuerus has those people put away and has Mordecai's good deed noted in his royal court records. The king appoints a man named Haman to be his second-in-command, and Haman is antisemitic and prejudiced against Jewish people. When Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman, Haman has the king issue a decree that all Jews will be eliminated from the Persian Empire beginning on the 14th of the month Adar.
Mordecai asks Esther to get the king to change his mind. Esther agrees and urges Mordecai and all of the Jews in the empire to fast and pray for three days. On the third day of prayer and fasting, Esther invites King Ahasuerus and Haman to a feast. After the meal, King Ahasuerus has trouble sleeping and asks his staff to read him the royal court records to help him doze off. He hears of Mordecai's good deed once more and asks that Mordecai be rewarded.
Esther, King Ahasuerus and Haman have another feast the next day, and Esther reveals to the king that she is Jewish and asks for her people to be allowed to remain safely in the empire. King Ahasuerus has Esther and Mordecai issue a new decree that Jews may protect themselves from those who wish to harm them. Jewish lives are saved, and Mordecai takes over Haman's place as the king's second-in-command.
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What is Purim in the Bible?
In the Book of Esther, a drunk King Ahasuerus has his wife, Queen Vashti, killed for disobeying him when he requested that she show herself at a party (with some interpretations being that he asked her to show herself nude except for her crown). After her execution, Ahasuerus hosted a beauty pageant to find a new wife, choosing a Jewish woman named Esther to be his new bride. Esther hides her Jewish beliefs and background from the king.
Not long after Esther marries the king, her cousin, Mordecai, discovers an assassination plot against him from two palace guards. Mordechai manages to relay the message to King Ahasuerus, who has the two guards killed and makes a note of Mordecai's good deed in the court's records.
Meanwhile, King Ahasuerus appoints the antisemitic Haman to be a position of power in the Persian Empire, with different sources referring to the role as prime minister and viceroy. Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman, and Haman talks the king into issuing a decree that all Jews will be executed beginning on the 14th of the month of Adar. Upon hearing the news, Mordecai and other Jews mourn publicly. Mordecai, through an intermediary, begs Esther to intervene and stop the king's genocide of Jewish people. Esther declines out of fear of her husband, explaining that no one has ever stood up to King Ahasuerus before and survived. Mordecai tells Esther that she may well have become Ahasuerus' queen for this reason: To bring salvation to the Jews under his rule. She relents and fasts and prays for three days before approaching her husband. She asks Mordecai to instruct other Jews to also fast and pray during the period as well.
On her third day of fasting and prayer, Esther invites King Ahasuerus and Haman to a feast, during which she invites them to a second feast set for the following night. Haman is livid that Mordecai still refuses to bow to him and has a gallows built with Mordecai's imminent execution in mind.
The night of the first feast, King Ahasuerus has insomnia and requests the court's records be read to him to help him sleep. When he hears of Mordecai thwarting the assassination attempt against him, Ahasuerus is told Mordecai didn't receive any sort of recognition for saving his life, and thus orders Haman to dress Mordecai in royal robes and reward him for his service.
At the second feast, Esther hosts Haman and King Ahasuerus, where she reveals her Jewish faith and background to the king and begs him not to murder her people, including Mordecai. Ahasuerus has Mordecai and Esther issue a new decree allowing Jews to kill anyone who may be suspected of trying to kill them in accordance with Haman's prior decree; more than 75,000 enemies of the Jews are consequently killed in the Persian Empire alone, including Haman's 10 sons. The king also orders that Haman be hung on the very gallows he'd created for Mordecai and appoints Mordecai to be his second-in-command.
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How do you greet someone on Purim?
Purim greetings are simple: "Happy Purim" will suffice. Want to wish someone a happy Purim in Hebrew? Tell them, "Chag Purim sameach." In Yiddish, you can say "ah freilichen Purim."
How long is Purim?
Purim lasts for one day. It begins at sundown on the first night (for 2023, that's March 6) until sundown the next day (March 7 for this year).
What time does the Purim fast start in 2023?
Some Jewish people honor Queen Esther's fasting and prayer period with a fast of their own during Purim. Purim fasts go from dawn until dusk on Purim Eve. This year, those honoring the Purim fast (also called the Fast of Esther) will fast from dawn until dusk on March 6, 2023. The fast ends at sundown when Purim begins.
