We had Purim holiday last Thursday. Purim is the most joyous day on the jewish calendar. It is celebrated with parades, costume/mask parties, gift giving, and a traditional, triangle shaped pastry named 'hamantaschen' . These cookies are made with a variety of fillings to choose from: poppy seeds/ fruit jam/ chocolate (My favorite filling - poppy seed or apricot gem).
hamantaschen (Web picture)
The parades are mainly for kids and youngsters; adults will usually remark : 'once you've seen one, you've seen them all'. They do a great job, though, accompanying their children and sharing the fun and joys of the day.
parents leading the proud little girls to the parade site
muscle man with his baby kid in a red Purim outfit
no place like Dad's shoulders
Father and child in 'strawberry' costumes
Each town organizes its own sort of parade ( the most grand and famous being the carnival of Holon city, south of Tel-Aviv).
I did not attend this year's local parade, so I browsed through my pictures of a previous one to get the feeling of Purim.
The parade included clowns, gymnasts, percussion bands, lots of balloons, cops, and other security guys to assure the order, viewers standing on the pavement or sitting on its edges.
clowns
performance with circles
The dominant color of the event seemed to be red, the color of Joy. However, khaki, white, black, and blue colors were also seen around. 
bridal white gowns
geometry - squares and circles in white&black combo
Some adittional things that caught my eye:
cop in a long embrace with a lady ; while on duty:)
Hoping we all happily make it to next year's Purim festivities!
The flag of Brazil caught my eye. I wonder if they came all the way to celebrate Purim in Israel.
ReplyDeleteLoved the father and son strawberry costumes! Cute!
Well, I've learnt something. I had no idea that the green diagonal with the yellow and blue disc on the white shirt of the percussion girl, was Brazil's flag. Thanks for the info.
DeleteI am especially curious if the cop knows the lady he’s hugging or if they just met. Amazing pictures, as usual.
ReplyDeleteI believe he knows her; probably family or neighbour. Glad you like my photos. Thenk you for the comment.
DeleteThanks for sharing this happy Purim celebration! Those cookies look good!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. The 'hamantaschen' cookies with their various filling options, are very tempting.
DeleteDelightful! Shared your photos and captions with Norma and we both thank you. Brava!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the photos,
DeleteThank you and Norma for your kind words.
Glad you shared your photos of the Purim Parade! They are great , I love your running commentary about each one and all the colors and variety in what everyone is dressed up as!! Its like we are watching it with you, thru your photos!! The first picture is really fun and I noticed the palm tree and nearby a Dad putting a crown on his daughter!! So sweet and you even provided the Hamantashen!! ♡：））God Bless you!!
ReplyDeleteThe first picture depicts s scene from a fairy tale, I think.
DeleteBehind the trees, there's the Municipality building - quite a modest one compared to other cities.
The Dad adjusting the crown on his daughter's head is indeed a sweet gesture.
Nice to see people happy and having fun especially in your neck of the woods, Duta!
ReplyDeleteMy city only has a parade in late August, but it is more elegant and subtle one with traditional dancers and members of National Councils walking in a procession dressed in our Northern National costumes. Everything is usually in golden colours as the festival marks the end of the harvest and celebrates brand new wheat brought from the fields. It is usually a big tourist attraction.
For marking the end of the harvest, we have special, smaller festivities which take place in rural places and agriculture schools on Shavuot holiday.
Delete(I wrote twice on that in my blog - in 2011 and 2018).
The parade in your city sounds fascinating with its golden colours and processions. Big attraction, indeed!
Thank you for sharing your festive culture with us. I knew about the Purim festivities but had never seen them until now. I just know the background, the historical meaning and the story of Ester and how she saved her nation from Haman’s plot to destroy her people. Kudos to you, DUTA, for capturing the fun and sharing! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteYou seem to know quite a lot about the historical background behind Purim. I'm impressed. The story of Ester is the very core of it all.
DeleteHugs to you too, Debra.
This is delightful! I am looking forward to a thaw, to get outdoors again.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jenn.
DeleteThe cold weather is keeping people indoors like hostages. They want to feel free to wander outside and have fun.
Well, hopefully the warm weather is on its way.
It's such fun to learn about different cultures, this does indeed look like a happy day in yours. Thanks for coming by so often, I am probably not that good at it. But I am now your latest follower.
ReplyDeleteTrue.It can be great fun looking at other cultures.
DeleteThank you for your comment, and for becoming a follower. That's an honour and a pleasure for me.
How fun! Thanks for sharing such great pictures. Those cookies sound really good, I love a good cookie.
ReplyDeleteThese cookies are a great treat on Purim holiday, and their making allows for endless creativity of dough and filling.
DeleteNow that looks a fun day out for the youngsters, and reminds me of the carnivals I used to take part in when I was a lot younger. They were always cheerful days, and made for fond memories, although they were not as grand as this one.
ReplyDeleteYes, a day like this brings back to us happy memories from our childhood and youth - when life was without cares and worries. We had our parents to do most things for us.
DeleteSounds like a great festive time for the children and all. I actually looked up Purim and read about Ester. The photos are all great, muscle man looks like a giant. Wonder what the lady in black was looking at. Interesting post, Duta! I always learn something new here!
ReplyDeleteKudos to you, Pam, for reading about Ester. She and her story are the nucleus upon which Purim holiday is based.
DeleteThe father with the bare arms/ muscles, and the lady in black stood out,in some humorous way, and caught my attention.
Thanks for the compliments.
Some wonderful photos especially love the first one Your festival feels a bit like our carnival in the netherlands Here in Christchurch we have the christmas parade in which people dress up. The cookies look delicious :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the photos and the cookies.
DeleteYes, I know about Christmas parades; they take place in some of the places in our country where there are christian believers. such as Nazareth and Betlehem.
Such interesting parade! I love the cute babies.....and the little car.
ReplyDeleteWell, babies and toddlers usually 'steal' the show at this kind of happening.
DeleteYes, the parade was interesting because of its versatilty and colors.
Duta, I smiled at your comment that the parade was mostly for children as it appeared that the adults, yourself included, all had a good time as well. We never miss the chance to watch a parade if one is happening, bud sadly there are not as many these days. Those cookie treats did look good too. (Thank for your recent comment on my vodka post. I have tried using vinegar as a cleaner in the past but the kitchen would then smell like a salad. So far, the vodka is proving very effective with the stove top cleaning and I may try some of the other uses for it as well, especially as a mosquito deterrent in the summer months!)
ReplyDeleteOf course,we adults enjoy the parade as well, but we like to rant about it, whereas for kids it's pure enjoyment.
DeleteThanks for the tip with the vodka. I'll sure try it. However, the vinegar I use is almost odorless; perhaps because it's the cheapest brand on the market. I don't really know.
What a parade! Joy on their faces is like sunshine.
ReplyDeleteThe boys walking on stilts were awesome.
Visiting from George, Train Ride of Enigma.
I'm come back.
Thank you for reminding me of the word 'stilts'. I've used "wooden legs" as stilts totally slipped my mind(there are stilts made of aluminium too).
DeleteStilts in a parade provide quite a lot of entertainment and kids greatly enjoy watching the the boys walking on stilts.
Such a lovely post and I enjoyed seeing all of your photographs. The Purim Parade is a colourful and well attended event.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Thank you, Jan. I know from previous your comments that you usually enjoy my photos, and that makes me very glad.
DeleteHow fun! Looks like some of the festivals here in the U.S. Such beautiful, bright colors, and it's so nice to see the customs in your country. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteRight. Festivals, parades, look more or less the same everywhere, as they are mainly based on costumes, bright colors, and fun activities (dances, acrobatics, musical performances).
DeleteWonderful! My best regards from Romania!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Daliana. Welcome to my little blog.
DeleteDuta hi!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful peorle, colors and cookies!!!
Many thanks for your kind words!
Hi, Magda
DeleteYou've got it right. It's all about people, colors, cookies.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looks like a fun festival.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
Indeed. Fun and Joy go together on this festival. It's not only the parade that provides them , but also the custom of give and receive treats and gifts.
DeleteI adore this post, Duta! It IS joyful. And you can tell everyone is having a good time. I love the colorful nature of it all. Now I need to go look up Purim. We all need holidays of joy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your visits to my blog. I'm glad you've been enjoying the Cotswold tour.
Your comment made me happy.
DeleteThanks Jeanie for your kind words.
Love it, Duta. Poerim is so important to celebrate. I've read about it here in The Netherlands too. What is the next Jewish holiday after Purim?
ReplyDeleteOur next holiday is Passover (Pesach). It falls on 19 of April. For a week we are forbidden to eat bread(we eat matza - unleavened flatbread made of flour and water).
DeleteThank you fro sharing your cultural event with us. Very enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Yes, Purim is an annual event, and it's both entertaining and enjoyable. It is part of our culture, religion, and tradition.
Delete