Like all the festivals of the Jewish calendar, Purim as we know it today is
the product of a long history of development.
Ostensibly a commemoration of national deliverance from danger, we should
have expected solemn ceremonies of thanksgiving such as those characterizing
Passover and Hanukkah. The victory over Haman is, however, distinguished by
a unique mood of high-spirited frivolity, coloured by high alcoholic content
and a general tendency to make light of matters that would be treated more
reverently at other seasons.
The earliest descriptions of Purim celebrations, from the Second Temple and
Mishnaic eras, offer no indication of the irreverence that we associate with
the festival. The emphasis is on the formal reading of the Scroll of Esther,
which was to be conducted with great care and seriousness.
To the best of my knowledge none of the familiar themes of drinking, parody,
etc., are mentioned in Talmudic sources emanating from the Land of Israel.
In fact the chief Palestinian rabbinic exposition of Esther, the midrash
Esther Rabbah, seems to take every possible opportunity to emphasize the
dangers of wine, incorporating a lengthy tract on the virtues of temperance.
It was the Jews of Babylonia who seem to have introduced some of the more
frivolous customs into the observance of Purim. Two main factors can be
traced to the Babylonian Talmud: Purim-Torah and the encouragement of
drunkenness.
The Babylonian Talmud records the famous dictum of the noted sage Rava
(Megillah 7b): "A man is obligated to get drunk on Purim to the point where
he can no longer distinguish between Cursed is Haman and Blessed is
Mordecai." In Hebrew this is Ad Lo Yada, which is the same phrase for a
carnival.
From these Talmudic beginnings we can trace the development of a whole genre
of Purim parodies, wherein Jews would affectionately poke fun at the world
of Talmud and halakhah. From the 12th century, Jews in Italy, southern
France (Provence) and elsewhere were producing parodies on the Talmud,
liturgy and other familiar pillars of Jewish life.
Particularly among German Jews there also developed the institution of the
Purim-shpiel, a rowdy play on the Megillah story (or other theme)
traditionally performed on Purim. Absorbing a number of different
traditions, from the German theatre as well as from Jewish exegesis, these
productions took great liberties with plot and characterization, such that
Mordecai might appear as a pathetic buffoon, Haman as a tragic figure, and
so on. Such irreverence of Juduasim and holiday services could and should,
of course, be tolerated only at Purim time.