Orthodox Jews celebrate annual holiday of deliverance in Jerusalem

Pour one out for Purim! Orthodox Jews celebrate annual holiday of deliverance in Jerusalem with traditional fancy dress and heavy drinking

• The annual festival is typically marked with parties, fancy dress, and great food 
• But it can result in drunken abandon as  some men drink heavily in celebrations
• It marks deliverance of Jewish people from a 2,500 year old extermination plot 

These images are not exactly what you might picture when you think of a religious celebration. 

But among Jewish communities, the annual festival of Purim can result in drunken abandon as it is marked with parties, fancy dress, great food and for the men, a lot of booze. 

The scenes in Mea Shearim were typical of the holiday, which celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plan to exterminate them in the Persian empire 2,500 years ago. 

According to the tale, the plot was thought up by Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire. Haman was the advisor to Persian King Ahasuerus. But the plans were foiled by Mordechai.

The tale is recounted in the biblical book of Esther, which is publicly recited in synagogue, known as the reading of the Megillah, as part of the annual festivities. 

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men rest after getting drunk during celebrations of the Jewish holiday of Purim in Mea Shearim

The carnival-like Purim holiday is celebrated with parades and costume parties to commemorate the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to exterminate them in the ancient Persian empire

Among Jewish communities, the annual festival of Purim can result in drunken abandon as it is marked with parties, fancy dress, great food and for the men, a lot of alcohol.

People are known to drink to the point of drunkenness during the annual holiday 

Ultra-Orthodox Jews celebrate the holiday in a synagogue with a cheerful group dance 

This joyful holiday is marked with the exchanging of delicious food, drink and gifts, eating a lavish celebratory meal and donating to the poor

It’s a holiday which has been embraced by ultra-Orthodox Jewish people, who are known to throw huge parties, complete with fancy dress and popular dishes

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man lies on the floor as he takes part in a celebration in Mea Shearim

This joyful holiday is marked with the exchanging of delicious food, drink and gifts, eating a lavish celebratory meal and donating to the poor. 

According to religious law, each adult must give at least two different foods to another person, and at least two charitable donations to the poor during the holiday. The giving of these food parcels, called mishloach manot, has become a huge aspect of the celebrations. 

To fulfil the aspect of charity to the poor,  either food or money equivalent to the amount of food that is eaten at a regular meal can be donated. In Synagogue, collections will also be taken. 

It’s a holiday which has been embraced by ultra-Orthodox Jewish people, who are known to throw huge parties, complete with fancy dress and popular dishes such as three-cornered pastries called hamantashen. These are traditionally filled with traditionally filled with a raspberry, apricot, date, or poppy seeds.

Seeds, nuts, legumes and green vegetables are customarily eaten on Purim, as is Kerplach, a dumpling filled with cooked meat, chicken or liver and served in soup. 

Special breads are also commonly consumed, and a dessert consisting of fried dough balls and vanilla custard, called Arany galuska is traditional for Jews from Hungary and Romania, as well as their descendants 

But, arguably the most raucous part of the festivities is the drinking of alcoholic beverages to the point of drunkness. 

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and children some in costumes celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim

The most raucous part of the festivities is when men drink alcoholic beverages to the point of drunkenness

Children are encouraged to dress up and parade on the streets during the event 

Men dance on the streets dressed in fancy dress costumes to celebrate the annual religious event 

The custom is said to stem from a statement in the Talmud, attributed to a rabbi named Rava

According to the custom, men must drink until he can ‘no longer distinguish between arur Haman (Cursed is Haman) and baruch Mordechai (Blessed is Mordecai)

Even the older generation get involved in the celebrations at synagogue and on the streets 

It is thought drinking wine stimulates the experience of spiritual blindness

Children also get involved in the celebrations by dressing up and parading through the streets 

It is said drinking wine impairs the men and stops them from distinguishing between good and evil 

The custom is said to stem from a statement in the Talmud, attributed to a rabbi named Rava, who allegedly states that men should drink during the festivities until he can ‘no longer distinguish between arur Haman (Cursed is Haman) and baruch Mordechai (Blessed is Mordecai). 

It is thought drinking wine stimulates the experience of spiritual blindness, in that a person is unable to distinguish between good and evil while drunk. 

However, the men have had to curb their drinking in recent years. 

During the pandemic, senior ultra-Orthodox rabbis were forced to urge moderation as the large parties resulted in a coronavirus spike. 

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