I hope everyone enjoyed their Mardi Gras. As many of you know, the Jewish holiday of Purim is also fast approaching. This year, I’m reminded of how closely our celebrations can overlap in spirit with those of our neighbors.
I didn’t grow up in Louisiana, so Mardi Gras’s pageantry, food, and costumes were not part of my early experiences. I grew up in a Conservative congregation in Birmingham, Alabama, where Purim’s stories and festivities were very much part of our tradition. I remember the fun and celebration of Purim: the costumes (especially dressing up as Queen Esther!), the delicious hamantaschen, and the festivals that always accompanied the holiday.
As I watched Mardi Gras unfold this year, I found myself reflecting on the similarities between Purim and Mardi Gras. The two holidays share more than just space on the calendar.
On Purim, we read the megillah and celebrate freedom and survival. Ours isn’t a tale without hardship, but it does have a hopeful ending, one that emphasizes the continued survival of the Jewish people.
Meanwhile, Mardi Gras invites Christians to enjoy one last celebration before Lent, a season of fasting and reflection that culminates in Easter, which is itself a holiday of renewal and hope.
Two holidays for two different traditions, connected with the same thread: hope.
Purim and Mardi Gras have long shared cultural tradition, too. I’m no Jewish Studies scholar, but quick research suggests that the Purim traditions of wearing costumes and eating special, festive foods emerged in early Christian Rome, during the 5th or 6th centuries. Both were borrowed from similar customs associated with pre-Lenten Carnival.
I haven’t consulted with any rabbis, and I share this not as a definitive history, but as a curious traveler’s note. How similar are the paths we travel, even though the spiritual journey itself may differ.
New Orleans is rightly famous as the heart of Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S., and it’s also a place where Purim is joyfully observed. So, just as you reveled in Mardi Gras, I hope you’ll also participate in our community’s many Purim programs. I look forward to seeing many of you at those celebrations, too. How fortunate we are to experience so much joy and to make so many memories!