Most often I bake when I find a good recipe - whether it be from a cookbook, the paper, or on another blog - and it looks too delicious and amazing to pass up. Occasionally I'll plan ahead to make something, for a birthday, or per request from my dad; but most of the time of the time it's a spur of the moment decision, and during the week I try to juggle baking and homework. So as one could imagine, baking for homework was a wonderful change of pace.
In civics, as we've been studying Judaism, we partnered up and did a project on Jewish holidays. My partner and I didn't get any of our top three choices, instead we were assigned Purim. At first we were both a bit hesitant, having never heard of the holiday before, but we soon found out that it's known as the most festive and joyous holiday on the Jewish calender. And, get this, it comes with it's own cookie. Hamantaschen, meaning "Haman's ears" or "Haman's pockets", are best explained by the story of Esther, the event commemorated by the holiday Purim.
Esther was a beautiful Jewish woman who, after winning a beauty contest, was married to the king of Persia, King Ahasuerus. The king was not aware that Esther was a Jew, as her guardian, a Jewish leader named Mordecai, had advised her to keep this from him. The king's prime minister, Haman, hated Jews, despising Mordecai especially for refusing to bow down to him. Haman went to the king, and convinced him that the Jews needed to be eliminated from his kingdom. Once Haman was given permission to do as he saw fit, he made arrangements for the Jews to be massacred, and built a gallows where he planned to hang Mordecai.
Even though Haman was killed, the king's orders had already been given so the massacre could not be stopped. So King Ahasuerus gave the Jews permission to fight back, and on the 13th day of Adar they fought.
