Preparing for Purim

Purim is a very big deal in Israel. It makes Halloween in the U.S. look like a flash in the pan. Preparations for Purim start early. We were in a mall in Ashdod on Wednesday, five days before Purim, and all of the teenagers were already decked out in their costumes. However, it did appear, at least this soon before Purim, that it was mostly the girls who were dressed up.

This party area in an Ashdod Mall was filled with teens already dressed for Purim

 Blonde descending stairs in the manner of Braque

One thing that did surprise me was how risque the girls costumes were, not at all like the costumes of my childhood, where everyone dressed up in some costume related to Purim, either Esther, Mordechai, Haman, Achaschverous, or some other Megillah character or Purim object. 

Perhaps they're all just dressed like Vashti?

   

 Dressed for Purim