Purim (Hebrew: פּוּרִים, Pûrîm “lots”, from the word pur, related to Akkadian pūru) is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther (Megillat Esther). It is considered a joyous holiday on the Jewish calendar and is observed from sundown on March 20 through March 21, 2019.