article_snippet: The colourful costumes traditionally take The colourful costumes cue from the Biblical story of Esther, the beautiful queen who foiled the plot against the Jews .
article_snippet: The story, which is recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther, tells the tale of how Haman planned to kill all the Jews, only for Haman wicked plot to be thwarted by the King's wife Esther and her adoptive father Mordecai.
article_snippet: Haman had selected a day on which Haman would annihilate the entire Jewish population and had sent out a decree bearing the King's seal, ordering that every Jewish man, woman and child.
article_snippet: But Esther - who had been chosen as Ahasuerus's wife by taking part in a beauty contest and concealing the fact Ahasuerus's wife was Jewish - later convinced the King to send out a new decree allowing the Jews to rise up and defend the Jews - thus saving the Jews lives. '
article_snippet: The story is recorded in the book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible and tells how a Haman, a royal adviser to King Ahasuerus planned to kill all the Jews in the ancient Persian Empire.
article_snippet: But a Haman, a royal adviser to King Ahasuerus plans were foiled by Mordechai and Mordechai adopted daughter Esther.
article_snippet: The fancy dress element of the day is said by some to commemorate how Esther was able to disguise Esther when Esther took part in a beauty contest, with the winner becoming King Ahasuerus new bride.  