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The story
The Persian empire of the 4th century BCE extended over many lands. All the Jews were its subjects. When King Ahasuerus had his wife, Queen Vashti, executed for failing to follow his orders, he had a beauty pageant to find a new queen. A Jewish girl, Esther, found favor in his eyes and became the new queen - though she refused to divulge her nationality.
Meanwhile, the bad guy - Haman - was the prime minister. Mordechai, the leader of the Jews (and Esther's cousin) defied the king's orders and refused to bow to Haman. Haman was really angry . He convinced the king to issue a decree to kill all Jews on the 13th of Adar - a date chosen by a lottery (Purim meaning lots).
Esther asked the Jews to pray and fast. She asked the king and Haman to join her for a feast. At the feast, Esther revealed to the king her Jewish identity. Haman was hanged, Mordechai was appointed the new prime minister, and a new decree was issued granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemies.
On the 13th of Adar the Jews mobilized and killed many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar they celebrated.
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