Minor holidays have more fun.
The Jewish holiday of Purim, not a High Holy Day, is something like Mardi Gras, April Fools’ Day and Halloween rolled into one.
Purim requires heavy drinking, homage to historical figures, tricky nonsense and costumes.
As a bonus, this holiday gave everyone — even gentiles — the phrase “the whole megillah.”
“The idea of the holiday is to turn everything on its head,” said B’nai Havurah Rabbi Evette Lutman. “The commandment — an actual commandment — is to be so drunk you can’t tell the difference between the phrases ‘Blessed be Mordecai’ and ‘Cursed be Haman.’ “
Who are these guys?
Purim, which this year begins after sundown Saturday and ends at sundown Sunday, began with a serious incident.
It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia in the fourth century B.C. The evil Persian minister Haman had influenced King Xerxes to decree the execution of Jews throughout his kingdom. The king later abolished the decree because of the sweet persuasion of his beautiful new Jewish wife, Esther, the niece of yet another minister, Mordecai. In a stunning reversal of fortunes, Haman was hanged in the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.
The word “Purim” means “lots,” Lutman said, and refers to “the lots Haman drew to figure out when all the Jews should die.”
“The story of Purim is a familiar Jewish one,” said Denver musician Saul Rosenthal. “We summarize the storyline in Judaism as: ‘They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.’ ”
(A similar thread, he noted, runs through Passover and Hanukkah.)
The long, detailed story of Purim is contained in a megillah scroll, the biblical book of Esther, and is read at services in the evening and again in the morning. The “whole megillah” is now slang for any laboriously long or heavily embroidered account.
Other Purim observances are mishloach manot, matanot l’evyonim and mishteh, which are, in order, the sending of two types of foods to friends, giving charity and holding a good drinking party.
In the Denver area, Purim carnivals abound this weekend.
• Rosenthal’s bluegrass group, Rocky Mountain Jewgrass, is leading a Purim celebration at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, 1601 Arapahoe St., on Sunday.
• Temple Emanuel is hosting a pasta bar at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by a 6 p.m. Family Megillah-shpiel (skit) for all ages — come dressed as a favorite character — at 51 Grape St. An event called Purimstock, beginning at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, invites adults to come in 1970s “disco garb” to experience “Perach Koach” (Flower Power). The synagogue’s Purim Carnival runs from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Sunday.
• Congregation B’nai Havurah is holding a mock trial of Haman, accused of conspiracy to commit genocide, Saturday night at the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, Room 165. Jury selection begins at 7 p.m. The trial begins at 7:30 p.m. Attorney Dan Recht will defend Haman. Karen Steinhauser will prosecute the case.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com
