The sounds of graggers whizzing, feet stomping and the congregation cheering circle through the mid-winter air. Children and adults alike are dressed in costumes and masks, eating hamantaschens and kreplach and giving gift baskets full of goodies to each other. Toddlers sit in awe as they watch finger puppets dance around on a cardboard stage. The cantor and rabbi are singing, and the whole synagogue is alive with festivity and fun.

You might be thinking—what is this strange holiday? What’s a gragger? What are hamantaschens and kreplach? This is Purim, a Jewish holiday celebrated annually on the 14th day of Adar, or on the Gregorian calendar, roughly late February or early March. This year, Purim fell on the evening of February 25 at sundown and ended the following sundown, February 26.

The celebration of Purim is called the “Feast of Lots”. The inspiration for this name comes from the Megillah, or the Book of Esther. In order to protect the Jewish people of Persia from being killed by King Xerxes I and his advisor Haman, Queen Esther held a banquet for them. She told them that she and her cousin Mordecai, who had recently saved the king’s life, were to be killed the next day, and that Haman had organized the plot to kill all of the Persian Jews because Mordecai had angered Haman by refusing to bow down to him. Xerxes ordered Haman to be executed, and Esther and Mordecai, as well as the rest of the Jews in Persia, were spared.

On the day of Purim, Jews celebrate by going to synagogue and reading from the Megillah as a congregation. They bring special noisemakers, called graggers, to the service. Typical graggers are made of tin or wood and are almost triangle shaped. They have a little stick protruding from them, and when you spin the gragger, it makes a whizzing sound. They also typically write the name “Haman” on the bottoms of their shoes. Whenever the cantor chants the name “Haman” during the reading of the Megillah, the congregation members spin their graggers and stomp their feet to drown out the sound of the name being said.

It is also common to wear costumes and masks to synagogue on the day of the service. There are quite a few reasons why this is a tradition. The miracle of the holiday is disguised in natural events; when Esther spoke up for herself and her people, King Xerxes repealed his decree to kill all of the Jews in Persia and hanged Haman for his crimes. Another reason is to lessen the embarrassment of the poor from taking charity, as Purim is a holiday of charity and giving. Jews also dress up to celebrate Mordecai receiving and wearing King Xerxes’ royal garments.

Purim also has a variety of traditions revolving around food. It is common to eat triangular foods on the holiday, as they are shaped like Haman’s hat. Hamantaschen are triangle-shaped cookies that are filled in the middle. They are traditionally filled with poppyseed, but any filling will do nowadays. Kreplach are triangular dumplings typically filled with ground meat or potatoes. They are often served in chicken soup, but some people fry them up.

Mishloach manot, or the giving of portions, is another food-related tradition on Purim. Mishloach manot are gift baskets filled with food goodies that must be ready to eat. They are given to neighbors, friends and loved ones on the day of the holiday and are left on their doorsteps as a surprise.

Purim is a fun, festive holiday deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and storytelling. Dressing up, reading the Megillah, eating triangular foods and giving gifts are all part of this ancient tradition that has been around for thousands of years.