Purim fancy-dress ball thrown by Portuguese Jews, 17th century

This holiday was established by Esther and Mordecai, the main heroes of the Book of Esther commemorating the delivery of Jews from the genocide that Babylon’s Minister Aman wanted to commit. The word purim means fate in Akkadian.. On this holiday people have fun and stage Purim spiel – comic dramatizations conveying the meaning of the holiday. The festivities were influenced by the Italian carnival. On Purim people walk the streets, stage dramatizations and organize balls. It is customary to fancy dress on Purim. Men are allowed to wear women’s clothes and the other way around. Something that is otherwise strictly prohibited by the Jewish laws.