Megillat Esther on ivory roll

The Megillat Esther, or Scroll of Esther, has been traditionally copied on and read from a scroll. It is read yearly at Purim, a Jewish spring festival with a carnival-like atmosphere that celebrates the deliverance of the Persian Jews from the death sentence. Private scrolls used by worshippers to follow the synagogue service, or for home reading, are either handwritten or printed, and some contain decorations and illustrations.