The Jewish holiday Purim arrives on the evening of March 7, featuring street theater, gift-giving and drinking wine. 

Purim is known as “Jewish Halloween” or “Jewish Mardi Gras.”

According to religionfacts.com, the holiday is rooted in the scroll of Esther, or Megilat Esther. Esther revealed her hidden Jewish identity to her husband Ahasuerus, king of Persia, in order to save Jews from a planned massacre.

The festivities include street theater, dressing up as characters from the Megilat Esther story, and drinking wine.

Hillel of Silicon Valley, a Jewish student organization, is hosting dinners March 9 and 10 open to anyone between 18 and 30 years old.

“Purim is a very amazing holiday that reminds us … that we can change our destiny and make moral choices,” said Rachel Duchin, a Hillel officer and board member on De Anza’s Jews, Israelis and Friends club.

“In Israel, this is a very happy holiday,” she said, “You see all the children in costumes, I think it’s a better Halloween version.”