 The festival of Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from the plot of Haman to annihilate them in the ancient Persian Achaemenid Empire, as described in the Book of Esther.It is a day of rejoicing and merriment, on which children, and many adults, wear costumes.It is customary to eat a festive meal, "seudat Purim", in the late afternoon, often with wine as the prominent beverage, in keeping with the atmosphere of merry-making.