PURIM or the Feast of Lots
Purim is the story of Queen
Esther(Hadassah-her Hebrew name) and her bravery of revealing who and what she
was even though she was faced with the possibility of death. With the encouragement of her cousin Mordecai
and God, the evil Haman was thwarted and the Jewish people were saved. We are reminded to honor Purim to remind us
that just as the Jews were rescued, we too are rescued and saved by Jesus our
Messiah. We need not be afraid of the “Hamans”
of this world who seek to destroy us, because our Messiah has the victory!
Here are some ideas to remind the children
of Purim and get them involved:
1.
Read the Megillah or Story of Esther
2.
Make Hamantashen cookies (Haman’s Hats) see
recipe below
3.
Make scepters and crowns
4.
Perform a play (see below)
5.
Have a Purim Masquarade party with friends and
family and share Jesus at the same time!
6.
Make groggers or noise makers( the are shaken
during the reading of Esther and everytime Haman’s name is said, we are to
shout, “Boo” and shake the groggers)
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup fruit preserves, any flavor
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until lightly and fluffy. Stir in the oil, vanilla and orange juice. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter to form a stiff dough. If dough is not stiff enough to roll out, stir in more flour. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter or the rim or a drinking glass. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of preserves into the center of each one. Pinch the edges to form three corners.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
EASY Purim play for young kids!
Characters: * King * Haman Mordecai
*Vashti Esther number of kids using groggers or audience
*speaking parts
Haman-black cloak, pointed hat(pirates hat), black beard/mustache
Esther-white flowing cloak, tiara(after she is queen)
King-Red cloak, crown, scepter
Mordecai-brown cloak
Vashti--purple cloak, bold hair piece, extravengent looking
Narrator: In the land of Persia, King Ahasuerus was ruler
(King is sitting on his throne in the middle of the stage)
KING: "I am king"
Narrator: He had a beautiful wife named Vashti
(Vashti floats in vainly)
Vashti: "I am Sooooo beautiful"
Narrator: But one day, Vashti displeased the King and she was removed
(King points his finger for her to go and Vashti stomps off)
Now King Ahasuerus needed a new queen. So all the beautiful girls in the kingdom were gathered up. Esther was kind and gentle and very beautiful. As soon as the king saw her, he chose her to be his new queen.
Now Haman(groggers go off and "boo") was evil and did not like the Jewish people. He was mad that they refused to honor him and one certain man, Mordecai, refused to bow down to him. Haman convinced the King to do away with them.
Haman: "They gotta go" (Haman rubs his hands together in an evil way )
The King agreed.
(all the kids hold their hands to their face in fear)
Mordecai, Esther's cousin, overheard the evil plot and ran to tell Esther
(He runs to Esther and whispers in her ear)
Esther prayed for 3 days
(Esther is on her knees in prayer)
Then she bravely approached the King.
He lowers his scepter allowing her to enter and her life is spared.
(all the kids wipe their brow, "whew")
She asked the king to spare the Jews, her people and her own life.
The King was angry that Haman tricked him.
King: " I am angry"
Haman was then removed from the kingdom instead of God's people. Due to Esther's bravery and obedience, she saved the day!!
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