In celebration of the annual Jewish holiday of Purim, both the Chabad House and Hillel will be hosting events tonight to mark the occasion.

The one-day holiday is celebrated with the reading of the Megillah, a book of the Hebrew Bible that tells the story of the Jews in Persia and a man named Haman who was persecuting them.

Chabad House"s Rabbi Alter Goldstein said the holiday is intended to celebrate the idea that although there are times when Jews are persecuted, they have still persevered and survived.

"This holiday hits home within our lives since we have had a number of trials within history with the 6 million Jews being killed in World War II again trying to annihilate a nation and they were not successful. We"re still here to tell about it," he said.

Associate director of Hillel Rabbi Rich Kirschen said the holiday is a joyous day because the Jews were saved. "It"s partially a feminist holiday and it"s also a really fun holiday. The story ends that we were saved so that"s why we"re happy."

Purim traditions include giving baskets of food to friends and to those in need and eating cookies called hamentashen, triangle shaped pastries filled with poppyseed or jam shaped like Haman"s hat.

Students gathered to make baskets and hamentashen last night. "Part of Purim is sharing with one another and it"s done by means of food because part of the holiday is to make everybody happy and make sure everyone has things to eat," Goldstein said.

Kirschen described Purim as "almost a combination of Halloween and New Year"s Eve" because people dress in costume and because "you"re supposed to drink until you don"t know the difference between the hero Mordechai and the villain Haman."

However, as it is Hillel"s policy not to serve alcohol, Hillel will be promoting a Purim celebration without the drinks. "From our perspective it"s enough to read the Megillah, dress up in costume and eat hamentashen," Kirschen said.

Another element of Purim is being funny and making light of everything and everyone, he said. Even the speech made at the Megillah reading, though it reflects on religious issues, he said, is "very tongue in cheek. The goal is to be funny on Purim."

The Chabad House will be hosting two events on campus tonight, one at the Chabad House at 7:15 and another at 9:30 in the fourth-floor lounge of the Mary Markley Residence Hall for those in the hill area. The Megillah will be read both places, with festivities to follow.

Two readings of the Megillah will also take place at Hillel at 7 p.m., an orthodox and a conservative and reform reading.

Goldstein and Kirschen both said students are welcome, though not required, to attend in costume. Both groups are hoping for a large turnout. "So many people come for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur," Kirschen said. "Why not come together for a really fun time which is Purim."