| 07 March 2012 | 3 Comments
 
 

Girls dress up for Purim at the Pinson School in Tunis (Photo by Nancy Cuevas Guzmán)

This year March 7th and 8th marks the 13th and 14th day in the Jewish month of Adar. The small Jewish community living in Tunisia will be celebrating both the Fast of Esther and the holiday of Purim on these two days.

The celebration commemorates the rescue of the Persian Kingdom’s Jews from Haman, the ancient Persian King’s adviser. The traditional Jewish story recounts how Haman’s attempt to massacre the Jews was halted by the King’s Jewish Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai.

Tunisian Jews fast during the day leading up to the festival of Purim, known as the Fast of Esther, and on the night of Purim they read the story of holiday, which is known as the Meghilla. When reading the Meghilla, they dress up in different costumes and eat various sweet foods. According to locals, many of the Tunisian sweet shops in Lafayette today use recipes originally mastered by Tunisian Jews who once heavily populated the neighborhood.

According to former Oxford University graduate student Naomi Stone, in her thesis Bilad al Haqaniya?: Otherness and Homeland in the Case of Djerban, Tunisian Jewry, the Jewish community in Djerba is the only Jewish community in the world that celebrates the holiday by burning a large effigy of Haman the morning of Purim.

The centuries old tradition was lost by other Jewish communities over time but was retained in Djerba. In her thesis, published in 2006, Stone observed children throwing firecrackers at the burning effigy of Haman.

Follow Kouichi Shirayanagi on Twitter: @Whitewillow64


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  1. Tunisian Jews celebrate Purim - ScrollPost.com | 07 March 2012
  1. Chedley Aouriri says:
    09 March 2012 at 11:13

    As I recall, the Purim burning tradition is also celebrated by some Tunisian Jews in Nabeul as well.

    Reply
  2. Afif says:
    08 March 2012 at 23:39

    The little Tunisian girl is so cute, and I congratulate the jewish community on this occasion. I am particulary happy that this tradition is only celebrated in Djerba. It should give all Tunisians a sense of the great multi-cultural and religious heritage we have.

    I am a Tunisian Muslim, and the picture of this little girl would probably make my wife want to have another child.

    Thank you Tunisialive for making the space for such an important and wonderful occasion.

    Shalom

    Reply

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