(Russian girls celebrating a holiday I don’t know about)
I recently saw an email with the subject line, The Best Purim Kitsch You Can Buy on the Internet. I almost deleted it since all I need are more tchotchkes. Then I stopped. Purim is not one of those untouchable holy holidays that no one wants to alter in the least. AND it doesn’t butt up against an American cultural or religious holiday that would color it. So what exactly would be kitsch for Purim? I found out!
Sweaters, earrings, leotards, pins, T-shirts, totes, cufflinks, mugs, baby bibs, onesies, cookie cutters and more!
Let’s think about this. So often a Jewish holiday is over shadowed by the non-Jewish holiday near it. Now, it’s true that Purim gets falsely labeled as the Jewish Halloween because there are costumes for kids, but other than that, Purim is pretty free and clear. So if you’re going to go all American on a Jewish holiday, this seems to me to be the way to do it. Get yourself a Purim apron or your kiddo a Hamentashen T-shirt. Make mask shaped cookies and put on that Purim jewelry. Go all out Jewish and have fun with it! Invent your own Purim doodads.
By coincidence I had come across the photo above and thought, “Wow! What a fast, easy, inexpensive, dramatic, inventive idea for a Purim costume.” With a paper hat you can be just about anything. These girls look like they could be pirate queens or fairies.
As for the Halloween and Purim comparison, both holidays are dark in their own way and painted over with parental cheer to look good to children. But they each have their own unique story and offer a lesson about life from different cultural environments. Don’t short yourself or your family, learn about them; they are truly fascinating and will enrich your understanding of human beings.