History of Graggers/Purim Customs

In the Chosen TV series, Jews of 1st-century Galilee are shown celebrating Purim in a way that looks fairly similar to contemporary Jewish practice: reading the megillah of Esther, making noise when the name "Haman" is pronounced, including with the noisemakers known today as graggers (Yiddish) or rashamim (Modern Hebrew).

Is this depiction historically accurate? If not, when did the Purim customs begin to be practiced in Jewish communities? When did Purim itself begin to be practiced and how do we know?

Posted Oct 11, 2025, 7:42 PM UTC

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