Alright so in case you didn't know, starting at sundown tonight to sundown tomorrow is the Jewish festival slash holiday of PURIM (pronounced POO-rim). Now, like almost every other Jewish holiday, Purim can best be summarized in these nine words: "They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat". It is documented in the Book of Esther and tells about how Esther and her cousin mordechai saved the Persian Jews from extermination by the evil Haman.

What you are expected to do on Purim:

*Dress up in costumes depicting characters from the Story of Purim

*Eat until your gut ruptures

*Drink alcohol (it actually says in the torah that you have to do this; to "lift thy spirits" or something like that)

*Gamble

*Party

*Sing

*Use those annoying noise-maker things

*Eat a crapload of candy, cakes, other sweets, and hamantaschen (little pastries filled with poppyseeds; literally means "Haman's ears" in Hebrew)

In Israel, I think you have the day off (you get a day off to party, eat, and get wasted). There are parades, and you get to just generally frolic and have a good freakin' time.

It's good to be Jewish.