Purim is a joyous festival, commemorating the survival of the Jews who, as narrated in the biblical Book of Esther, had been doomed to annihilation in Persia in the 5th century BCE.

The holiday occurs on the 14th of Adar in the Jewish calendar, falling in February or March on the Gregorian calendar.

Of the many holidays in the Jewish calendar, Purim’s celebration of the Jews overcoming oppression—through the actions of a Jewish woman and her uncle—is one of the most jubilant and is marked with lively festivities, pageantry, and a special triangular pastry.