Residents At Magnolia Court Dress To Celebrate Purim

Residents at Magnolia court in Hampstead donned fancy dress and took part in ancient rituals to celebrate Purim, which took place on February 26. 

Purim commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an official of the First Persian Empire who planned to kill all Jews. His genocidal plans were thwarted by Mordecai and his cousin, Esther, the story is recounted in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew bible, the Tanakh.

Residents got dressed up, observed the rituals and said blessings, received goodie bags from the local Jewish community Shia Association and ate challah bread. Staff and residents reminisced about the ways in which they had celebrated Purim in the past and shared their experiences of the festival.

Magnolia court, General Manager at Magnolia court, said: “Purim is a lovely festival for our Jewish residents and all our residents are very keen to learn about different cultures. As an inclusive community, we celebrate all holy days and events from all faiths. Our Jewish residents loved sharing their experiences and everyone really enjoyed the celebrations.”

Peggy, a resident, said: “It was so much fun to get dressed up for Purim, it is always a great celebration. We all enjoyed tucking into our goodie bags and having a drink to mark the festival.”