I Still Don't Have a Purim Costume!!!

Wow! Purim is only two weeks away and I still haven't decided what to dress up as. I stopped by Hannah Katsman and asked her. She writes the blog A Mother In Israel, so I knew she'd have some great ideas, and she did! She popped open her blog post on Easy Purim Costume Ideas.

But what if I don't want to make my own costume?? Leave it to my cousin Zehava. She said "Zvuvi! Don't tell me you've never  been to Pure Glorious Costumes in Tel Aviv?" I said "Huh?!?!"
"That's what I thought," she answered grabbing my wing. Away we flew. Before I knew it we were on Matalon Street in Tel Aviv, home to Tel Aviv's first ever Purim costume designer.

"Come on in," said Adva Abalya, the store's costume designer. With a big smile, she showed us around, explaining that this is a family business going back 30 years. "I'm keeping my 2014 designs a secret for another few days," she smiled, showing us the big hits from last year. Some are not relevant anymore. You'll understand when you view her tour.

When she finished she asked: "So what do you think?"

"What do I think?" I answered. "Dressing up as an Israeli pilot is a good idea. After all, I'm a real spitflyre."

Adva smiled. "I knew you'd find something." As she turned to go, I yelled: "Hey Adva! As long as you're not showing off your 2014 collection just yet, I have another costume idea for you."

Adva was all ears.

"Yeah," I added "I even have a picture for you."

I gave her this photo of me:

"Interesting," smiled Adva.

I think it looks easy to make. What do you think?

Israel's Adloyada Purim Parade is Like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Shalom Yeladim:

I want to give you a sneak preview of Purim in Israel. Every year the city of Holon holds the country's largest Purim Adloyada Parade. It's a major attraction with lots of floats. You could say it's our version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The Adloyada parade was first held in Tel Aviv in 1912. The name Adloyada comes from the Rabbinic ruling that on Purim people should party so hard until they can't tell the difference -- Ad Lo Yada -- between Haman and Mordechai.

Parades are held all over Israel, but Holon's is the best!

These are just a few examples of the parade's floats. Click here to see more. I once read that the floats are made at Holon's Design Museum and I wouldn't be surprised. It is the coolest place!

Even cars get into the act!

And, of course, kids! But I'm kinda wondering why they're dressed up as candles!






Are you planning a parade for Purim? Send me pics. I promise to post them.

Float 1 photo credit

Float 2 photo credit

Purim car photo credit

Float 3 photo credit

Kids photo credit

Purim Spaghetti Western Made in Israel

Shalom Boys & Girls:

Before I start working on my Purim costume I'm going to sit in my Director's seat and watch a new animated Purim clip that's Made in Israel.  It's a spaghetti western starring Mordechai, Haman and Achashverosh. Hey, wait a minute. That ties in with the Purim custom post you received last week. I get a feeling I know what I'm going to dress up as. But back to the clip. There are no subtitles, but there are two versions: Hebrew and English. Enjoy both and have a Happy Purim.

What's the Connection Between Macy’s and the Israeli City Holon?

Shalom Yeladim:

Here’s the answer: Macy’s holds an annual Thanksgiving Day Parade with people from all over the United States coming to see it, and every year Holon holds its Purim Adloyada Parade, with Israelis from north to south attending. Both of these parades are unbelievable pageants with huge floats, bands, dance troupes, balloons and more. Now, I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes of the Macy’s parade, but I do know that Holon has a special puppet center with a school that teaches how to make puppets. Even better, it has a two-year course in carnival art which trains people on how to build giant puppets like this Jungle Boy float. It is gigantic puppet floats like this that make Holon’s Adloyada parade so special.

The parade is about to begin. I’ve got to fly. I want to buzz around and meet the puppet makers. A giant Zvuvi float sounds good to me for next year’s parade.

Hey…you never know.

Purim Sameach…Zvuvi

What do Haman and the Pyramids Have in Common?

Shalom Yeladim:
The answer is really neat. Right we all eat Hamantashen on Purim? In Israel we call them Oznei Haman (which means “Haman’s ears”) and they go on sale in the makolet – local supermarket – around a month before Purim. Every year bakers all over the country try to outdo themselves by coming up with new ideas. This year one baker came up with such an unusual idea that it was covered on the news. Are you ready for this? Pyramid shaped Oznei Haman! He said he was inspired by the current events going on in our part of the world and he wanted to show the Egyptians that he agreed with their push for democracy. So instead of cutting his dough into triangles he cut it into rectangles. He filled each rectangle with a traditional poppy seed mix, lifted its the corners and pinched them into the shape of a pyramid. Pretty cool, and much closer to the real meaning of Hamentashen – which is German for “pockets of poppy seeds”.
Hey – I wonder if pyramid costumes will be a hit this Purim as well. You never know! I’ll keep you posted.
Zvuvi

I Just Returned from the States. Now I’m Getting Ready for Purim.

Shalom Yeladim:

Long time no hear! I’m back from my trip to the United States. I had a great time meeting kids like you in New York, Providence and Miami. It was so much fun flying around, introducing boys and girls to Israel by playing “Pin Zvuvi on the Map” and of course, meeting loads of “relatives” wherever I went. We flies are some clan.

Now that I’m back in Israel I can see Purim fever is beginning to take hold. Last week the TV news already had a story on professional costume designers – and Purim is still a month away! But Purim in Israel is BIG TIME. It’s a combination of Mardi Gras and Halloween. There’s no school for 3 days and kids walk the streets in costume 2-3 days before the holiday sets in. On Purim day many cities hold Purim parades called 'ADLOYADA' that are complete with floats, bands and dancing.

So, right now everyone – children and adults – are busy sewing and buying costumes. Last year Bob the Builder was one of the big costume hits. I can’t wait to see this year’s costume winner.

What are you dressing up as? Hey, how about dressing up as me, Zvuvi??!! If Tami can have a puppet made up to look like me, then you can certainly make a Zvuvi costume. Look at this picture and see if it helps.

Keep me posted…Zvuvi