Yes, Purim is often considered the Jewish Halloween and you could easily use Halloween costumes to dress up your kids. But there’s more than that to Purim. The Megillah reading tells the story, and making these costumes are the first step to having your kids act it out. Plus, the characters are classic: queen, king, hero, and bad guy. (And we’ve got the costumes for them all!) No sewing necessary.
Haman is the bad guy in the Purim story. He’s the one who plots to kill the Jews, and it is Queen Esther and Mordechai who convince King Ahasueros of Haman’s evil plan. But sometimes, it’s fun to be the bad guy. If it’s Haman your child wants, here’s how you get him!
You’ll Need:
2 king-sized black pillowcases
yarn (I used a ribbon yarn)
2 large stiff felt boards
stapler
For the Robe:
1. Cut an opening for the head by cutting along the closed end of the case approximately eight inches in the middle. Leave the sides closed for the shoulders.
2. Create armholes by cutting along seams beginning approximately six inches down from the corner.
3. Take the second pillowcase and cut along side seams to open up the fabric. Drape this around your child’s neck as a shawl.
4. Cut nine long strands of ribbon yarn (enough to wrap around your child’s waist three times). Tie a knot approximately six inches from end (leaving ends to dangle) and braid. Tie again approximately six inches from end. This forms the belt for the gown.
For the Hat:
1. Cut a triangle from one board of felt and a long rectangular strip from the other.
2. Join ends of rectangular strip to form a circle. Staple together.
3. Make one-inch cuts down from the rim every couple of inches. These will create tabs to attach the band to the top of the hat.
4. Fold tabs.
5. Staple the tabs to the triangle.
6. Use bobby pins to secure to child’s head!
