DIY analysis I

Imagine yourself walking into a room and you know little about the people who designed the interior nor do you know a lot about their culture. Further imagine that inside the room there is a small gathering of people. 

What would you look for if you were trying to determine if this was a religious group or a religious event?


Take some time. 



No seriously a bit more.



Have your list?


Now let me describe the scene further. There is a table with various kinds of food. Sushi, various Chinese inspired dishes, meat balls, and a veggie dish. Beverages include many types of alcohol, water, coffee, and orange juice. 

You look around the room you see a woman wearing Minnie Mouse ears, another in a Hamburgler outfit, some guys in silly hats, and people of both genders dressed well. There are also young children most of which are dressed up in costumes as well, a cowboy, two toddlers as bees, a clown, and others. 

Along the walls you see about four of five bookshelves full of books, some of which are in English, some are in a language you cannot read, and some are a mixture. As you are taking this all in you are invited to join a reading. It is in a language you cannot understand, but you know just enough to catch an odd word or two. Including two which you know are proper names. 

People boo at one of the names. You notice that the loudest person booing was wearing a patriotic inspired outfit that was almost entirely red, white, and blue. 

The reading is very fast and there was some concern at the beginning that it would not be completed by sunset, though at the end you hear one person say that he had time to spare. You look out the window and its a heavily overcast day and already very dark, and you pause to realize that he probably knew the time of sunset in advance as you noticed he looked at his watch to determine this. 

After you leave this room, you see a jazz quartet setting up and they soon start playing. You sit next to a man in a suit and tie and bond as the music starts playing. He says one of the few words that you know in an unfamiliar language and you respond with the best pronunciation of that word that you can manage. 

Except it was supposed to be a toast and your glass was empty. You go up to get a drink so as to properly do the toast and he asks you to get a drink for him as well. You come back and do the toast. 

Some songs the band is playing you don't recognize at all, but everyone else in the room seems to. Some songs you do recognize and at one point you see a man dressed up as John Lennon dancing with another young man to a jazz version of "Come Together" by the Beatles. 

To be abundantly clear, you don't sense any romance, just two people having fun moving to music as a third man joins in and then children join, and then the man in a suit and tie that you were talking with joins in. 

Eventually after having a few drinks yourself, you decide to join in, despite the fact that you are in an unfamiliar group. 

People come and go in the dancing group. It was not your intention to convince these people that you were like them, but you did. 

Remember your list? Determine if this was religious.



Take your time, no rush.  




One more moment.





Alright. Have your answer?





If you are an astute student of religion you may realize that this is likely a description of Purim and you would be correct. Purim is a Jewish holiday celebrating the foiling of Haman's plans to kill all the Jews told in the Book of Ester. 

This is an actual account of my crashing of a Purim celebration at Jpulse. Thanks so much for welcoming me!!! 


To all readers: I am very curious about how you went about this exercise. Please leave comments.