Purim celebrations for children brought forward a day as snowy weather forecast
Celebrations for the upcoming Purim festival have been brought forward in cities and towns across Israel to avoid the expected stormy weather, with children going to school in costumes on Monday instead of Tuesday as originally planned.
The annual Jewish holiday of Purim, which officially begins on Wednesday evening and continues through Thursday in most places, is marked by costume-themed celebrations. Each year, Israeli schools set aside the day before for children of all ages to arrive in costume, but with snow forecast for many areas on Tuesday, authorities made the decision to bring the festivities forward rather than risk the time spoils the fun.
Costume Day was set for Monday in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Ashdod, among many other places.
“We will not disappoint the children and we will celebrate with costumes and merriment,” Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said in a statement on Sunday explaining why the capital has decided to step up the celebrations.
The Jerusalem parents’ steering committee welcomed the decision, according to the Ynet news site.
The northern city of Safed already announced on Friday that it was canceling a Purim procession schedule for Tuesday due to expected bad weather.
Temperatures are expected to drop on Monday with rains starting overnight and continuing through Tuesday accompanied by high winds. Light snow is forecast for mountainous areas and in northern and central regions.
Wednesday night, when Purim officially begins in most of the country, it’s expected to be chilly, but by then the rain and snow should have passed. Thursday, Friday and Saturday are expected to see a slight rise in temperatures. Purim is traditionally celebrated a day later in some places, including Jerusalem.
Temperatures for Monday were forecast at 5°C (41°F) in Jerusalem, 12°C (53°F) in Tel Aviv, 8°C (46°F) in Haifa, 2°C (35.6°F) in Safed , 11°C (52°F) in Ashdod, 9°C (51.8°F) in Beer Sheva.
Israel has already experienced a flurry of snow in January with cover thick enough to close roads to the capital.
This year’s Purim celebrations come as Israel emerges from a wave of COVID-19 infections and will be celebrated without most of the restrictions that marred the previous two years due to the pandemic.