From delicious cotton candy and sushi to game booths and prizes galore, "Pour Some Purim on Me" proved successful in its second year of pre-Purim celebration.
Yesterday at Houston Hall's Hall of Flags, the Lubavitch House -- a center for Jewish students on campus -- sponsored the second annual pre-Purim carnival in honor of the holiday of Purim, which begins on Saturday.
The event was also sponsored by Schottenstein Holiday Series and was organized with the help of 18 campus organizations.
Some of the groups present included a range of Greek houses and performing arts groups, along with the College Republicans, Penn Democrats, Theos and the Israel Cultural Club.
All proceeds from the event will be donated to Pups For Peace, an organization that began in April 2002 and is "dedicated to reducing death and injury through the use of explosive-detection dogs to counter terrorism," according to the group's brochure.
The reason for donating the proceeds, Rabbi Levi Haskelevich of the Lubavitch House explained, is that "the Jewish way to celebrate a day like Purim is through charity."
"Charity is something that transcends religion, creed ... [it's] the ability to do for others," he added.
Students staffing the array of different tables displayed at the carnival were all looking forward to donating to the Pups for Peace organization.
Wharton freshman and Theos member Adam Henick helped run a Three-Card Monte table during the festival because he thought "the program in Israel is a good cause."
Yet helping this organization was not the only thing on event organizers' minds.
College senior and Israel Cultural Club President Melanie Mund explained that the ICC "sent letters to soldiers in Israel last semester," which proved to be very successful, and so "we are now sending letters and gifts for Purim to be handed out next Saturday [to soldiers] in time for Purim."
The reason for sending these gifts is that on Purim you "give gifts to people who are poor [so they can] enjoy the holiday, and [you] give gifts of food to your friends," said ICC member and Wharton and College sophomore Josh Schainker.
In addition to helping provide gifts for others, students attending the event could take part in a variety of fun activities.
The "Make your Own Yarmulke" booth was "clearly the best booth at the carnival," Wharton senior Jon Schottenstein said.
"People can have fun painting [and] get a souvenir of something you created," Schottenstein said. "Painting is always fun."
Painting may be one way to release the stress of midterms and enjoy the spirit of Purim, but Sigma Alpha Mu brothers had their own ideas about releasing energy.
At their booth, entitled "The Eggs-ecutioner," students could pay $1 per egg or $5 for six eggs to throw at the SAM brothers.
Sigma Alpha Mu "is in the process of returning to campus and felt this [was] a good starting event" for them and a great way to participate in the festivities, College sophomore and SAM brother Drew Dulberg said.
Within an hour, the egg-throwing event earned $20 and witnessed the brothers drenched in gooey, yellow egg yolks.
After throwing an egg, students could chow down on some candy at the Penn Democrats table.
The Penn Democrats made "balloons with fortunes in them. If you get something a Democrat did, you get a sweet candy. If you get something Bush did, you get a sour candy," College freshman Jennifer Reiss said.
There were also several raffles held with all sorts of prizes.
Attendees could enter to win harmonica or guitar lessons, Philadelphia 76ers tickets, a trip to Atlantic City, a $100 gift certificate to American Eagle and even a Shabbat dinner for four.
