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Show I OF PURIM. The feast of Purim is a minor holiday holi-day of the Jewish calendar which falls this year on March 4 and will be observed ob-served by special sen-Ices in the syna-gogs syna-gogs on the evening of March 3. The Jewish holiday press notice bureau of Cincinnati sends out information about this holiday which indicates that in many ways it is one of the most unique of religious festivals. Here la the description: At the service the Book of Esther Es-ther Is read In the original or in a translation, accompanied by the unrestricted comments of the congregation con-gregation who manifest their approval ap-proval of the heroic deeds of Queen Esther and (Mordecai, her uncle, and scorn the trickeries of Haman by pounding desks, stamp- ' " ing their feet, and making ear-splitting ear-splitting noises by moans of mechanical me-chanical contrivances. The semi-mirthful treatment of this Biblical story yielded in course of time to a more sober rendition, when the story of the Jewish people in ancient Persia as outlined in this account mirrored in part the career of the Jewish people of all ages. Israel was beset be-set by the enemy pn all sides and daily his life was threatened, as in the story of Esther. ' The Joyous celebration of the feast, however, was never modified modi-fied despite tho bitter experiences exper-iences the Jewish people were forced to endure. Every season this festival came as a means of enlivening the sadness of their lot and bringing cheer to those who wore forced to dwell in darkness. Home and synagog were both the scenes of merriment. In the home additional delicacies vrrre served and all who were in distress in body or soul were remembered and relieved. Social programs were arranged to amuse and entertain. Masked balls and humorous theatricals the-atricals were devised to provide merriment for the Jewish community. commu-nity. The traditional practices have been preserved to this day. Among Jewish people the feast of -Purim is an occasion for social events and domestic celebration of more or le9S elaborateness within the home circle. oo |