An early spring holiday, Purim commemorates the deliverance of Persian Jewry from the annihilation in the 5th century BCE. The story, told in the biblical Book of Esther, is recorded in scroll form and read on Purim in the synagogue. Purim is further celebrated by feasting, by exchanging foods with friends, and by giving alms to the poor. Featuring the heroes of the biblical story, Queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai, bags such as these would be filled with small gifts and sweets for the holiday.