Read the Megilla, eat, drink, sing, drink, discuss or playact Purim story, drink, read Megilla again, drink, give money to the poor, drink, eat, drink, give Mishloach Manot, drink, eat, drink, sing, drink, sleep, wake up with Excedrin Headache #6.

Sounds good to me!

But has the celebration of Purim always been this way? Is this how Jews around the world throughout the ages have paid tribute to the most merry of Jewish holidays? To a large extent, yes: Though not necessarily in this order, the celebrations usually include all of the above elements. (Well, fine. Not everyone necessarily wakes up the next morning with a headache.)

Below is a description of the various elements that go into the celebration of Purim. But more than that is a presentation of how various Jewish communities throughout the ages had their own little twist (no pun intended) on how they celebrated. Some of the customs below have become "extinct," but that shouldn't stop you from using any of the ideas to enhance your own celebration of the holiday. Just remember - we are celebrating our continued existence despite the odds - live it up and enjoy!

READING THE MEGILLA:
This is one of the four Rabbinical commandments fulfilled twice during the holiday. Interestingly, we call it "reading" the megillah when what we really do is "hear" the megillah (from the mouth of the one person reading it). Hearing isn't really enough and it's imperative to read the text along with the chanter of the Megillah. In fact, many people customarily read along personally from a "kosher" megillah (no - it doesn't chew its cud - it is flawlessly written on parchment) similar to that used by the cantor.

In some synagogues, the person who chants the Megilla is chosen based on the simple fact that he knows how (i.e. the sucker of the shul). Note, I say "he," though today it is considered halachically kosher even by numerous orthodox congregations to have the Megilla chanted by women in an exclusively women's service. There are other synagogues in which members vie for reading the megilla through some sort of auction. For example, in Yemen and Aden, it was customary to purchase the privilege of reading by contributing wax candles for lighting the synagogue. Bridegrooms were given the first opportunity of bidding, and the highest bidder won.

As far as the reading itself goes, there is the standard chant which differs from the regular cantillation for reading the Torah or Haftorah.

Because there is an element of entertainment in the reading, there are some congregations in which the cantor uses a different "voice" or intonation for the various main characters in the Megillah - the narrator, King Ahashverosh, Haman, Mordechai, Esther, etc...

The reading of the Megillah can last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half. What factor causes the variance? Simply the reaction to the name "Haman." If the crowd goes wild every time the name Haman is read (which happens in most services) the reading can get drawn out. The point of this custom is to "beat" or take revenge on Haman. We boo, hiss, beat, and curse Haman. I can't imagine that in the (very) old days, people used to bring cap-guns and cymbals and electric guitars to synagogue in pursuit of being the loudest noisemaker. The custom used to be that when Haman's full name was read, people would shout "cursed be Haman" or "may the name of the wicked rot!" Children would draw the picture or write the name of Haman on stones, sticks, or shoe- bottoms, and beat them in order to wipe out his name. Somehow, this evolved to where the custom is today - namely making lots and lots of noise every time the name Haman is mentioned.

In the Jewish communities in Italy, it was a custom for people to break clay pots and shout "And He shall break it as a potter's vessel is broken" (Isaiah 30;14). In Ismir, Turkey, they would write the name of Haman on the head of a hammer and pound with it. I guess that by now, you get the point of this Haman thing. If not, you certainly can't miss it when you go to synagogue. (In some services, it is customary to hiss also when Zeresh, Haman's wife, is mentioned.) On a side note, there is a tradition that holds that every beat of every hammer, foot, and noisemaker in response to Haman's name is felt by him over in Hell... Who knows, but it sounds good!

MISHLOACH MANOT
The second of four Purim-related commandments, this custom could be literally translated as the delivery of a portion (of food). It entails sending 2 types of food to one person. Anything beyond that is extra-credit (or extra-expense, depending on how you look at it). Of course, one can be creative with this and not be limited to sending the standard Hamentashen, fruit and wine. I have seen varied (yummy) themes: pasta, bagels and cream cheese, peanut butter and jelly, crackers, cheese and wine, nuts and raisins, etc... One old-day's custom was preparing pastries in the shape of different animals, percussion instruments (for beating Haman), soldiers, and heroes of the Megilla. Sometimes a community member (usually poor) would be paid to deliver the Mishloach Manot among the various families. Today, many people find the whole custom overwhelming - so many friends and people to whom to send gifts. As a solution, many small communities (including Israeli Kibbutzim or local synagogues) host a lottery the week before Purim in which each family randomly selects another family to which they deliver their package on Purim. This saves not only on money but on potentially (inadvertently) insulting someone.

MATANOT LE-EVIONIM (GIFTS FOR THE POOR)
Sometimes, when eating, drinking and being generally merry, we tend to forget about those who can't afford the best type of vodka. Or those who "absolutely" can't afford vodka at all. Incorporated into the body of four laws pertaining to Purim is this - one must give a monetary gift to at least two poor Jewish people. Now, realistically speaking, how easy is it to step out of your front door and plop a few dollars in the hand of the first two poor Jews you see swaggering down your street? And who is to say that the person you give will really accept the money (being too proud to take it)? The solution in many communities (or local synagogues) is the central collection idea: Everyone gives on Purim into the hat and it is redistributed to those in need. This way, the givers and the receivers remain anonymous (to each other) which is one of the highest forms of charitable- distribution (according to Maimonides). Maimonides also said in relation to Purim: "It is better for a man to increase gifts to the poor than to enlarge his feast and to increase gifts to his friends. For there is no greater and more wonderful joy than to make happy the hearts of the poor..." By the way, the money collected and distributed on Purim to the poor is often used to fund Passover, which is right around the corner.

PURIM FEAST (SEUDA)
Imagine a commandment that says "Thou shalt pigout verily." Well, the fourth Rabbinic decree that must be fulfilled on Purim is the Seuda: Generally, sometime during the day of Purim, families and friends gather for a sumptuous meal with free-flowing drinks. This repast tends to last into the night (unless Purim falls on Friday). But if you think that's enough, you should have attended the Seuda in the Jewish communities of the Arab countries: There, they started the partying on the eve of Purim right after the reading of the Megilla, and continued until after daybreak. Then, after the morning prayers and Megillah reading, it started again and lasted until nightfall. In Yemen, there was special emphasis on the superiority of the food - the goal was to make a feast fit for kings with the best delicacies available. They would also sing the songs for ALL of the Jewish holidays to liven up the scene even more. Additionally, in some communities, during the seuda, actors would visit the homes of the wealthy and put on Purim plays which included jokes and parodies. In return they were paid in money and holiday goodies. Another activity in some communities was to take a break during the seuda before nightfall and going outside to take part in the "burning of Haman." (I'll let your imagination take you where you want on that one.)

MASKING IT UP
This is by no means a commandment, but it's fun! Because the main theme of Purim is that things didn't turn out as they seemed they would, it became to the custom to dress up and mask one's own identity. Get the connection? Often, people (children and grown- up children) attend the Purim feast dressed up. Some people hold the custom of specifically NOT dressing up in synagogue for the reading of the Megilla so as not to dishonor the sanctity of the event. But others figure - if I'm ever going to show up to synagogue looking silly, this is the best time to do it!

SPECIAL FOODS
Having discussed already the fact that eating on this day is a "mitzvah" (commandment), let's see what special foods may be applied to Purim. We all know of those triangular thingies filled with various types of mush (I personally prefer chocolate) known as Hamentashen. In fact, by the end of Purim, I have so much of the stuff from various Mishloach Manot that I put them all together, take out my easel and canvas, and create a great piece of art with the filling. But besides hamentashen, there there are some other goodies directly connected to Purim:

Kreplach: This is ground meat wrapped in dough, folded into a triangle. The word, "kreplach" is Yiddish and is said to be derived from the Hebrew names of holidays on which this food is eaten: Before or after Yom Kippur (K), Hoshana Raba (R) and Purim (P). These holidays are connected to each other because they involve some sort of striking or beating: On Yom Kippur we beat our heart in prayer; on Hoshana Raba we beat willow branches, and on Purim, we beat (and blast and cream and clobber) Haman.

Seeds, beans, legumes: One custom is to eat different kinds of seeds -- pumpkin, sunflower, nuts, etc. This is to commemorate Esther's eating only seeds while she lived in the King's palace. Along the same lines people also eat beans and legumes to celebrate the vegetarian lifestyle that Esther had to adopt while queen (in order to preserve her observance of the kashrut dietary laws). Additionally, beans symbolize sadness, as they are traditionally eaten after a funeral. We eat them on Purim amongst all the merriment to remind us of our continued state of exile.

Turkey: (known in Hebrew as "Indian chicken"). By eating turkey, we honor Achashverosh, who ruled from Ethiopia to India. How do we honor him? Among the peoples of Europe, including the Jews, turkey is considered a symbol of stupidity, so we are remember Achashverosh as the "stupid" king (as termed such in Midrash Megilla XII).

Wine: Yes, we all know of the "mitzva" (but it's not technically a commandment) to get drunk on Purim. While many like to take the easy route and get trashed on Wild Turkey, vodka, or Jack Daniels (or all three plus), the truth is that wine should be the preferred choice.
First of all, you are less likely to see it again (get my drift?). Second, the Purim story in Megillat Esther is intrinsically bound with wine: In the beginning, Vashti was beheaded because she refused to appear at the King's wine-based indulgence. In the end, Haman's final downfall also took place through wine. And I'm sure that someone somewhere took a drink in the middle too...

NOTE - some source material taken from a document on Purim compiled by the Pedagogical Center - Dept. of Education of the WZO