Purim Katan - Little Purim - Jewish Holiday starts Feb 17 at sundown

When is Purim Katan? Purim Katan, in 2011, begins at sundown, in the diaspora, on:
Erev Shabbat (Thursday evening), February 17 until Friday evening, February 18, 2011 - I Adar 14, 5771.
Shushan Purim, therefore, falls on Shabbat.
In a leap year when, according to the Jewish calendar, there are two months of Adar, Adar Rishon (I Adar) and one in Adar Sheini (II Adar); we celebrate Purim Katan in the first Adar, Adar Rishon. The fact that Purim Katan is in Adar Rishon indicates that this year is a leap year, the idea of which is to reconcile the difference between the solar and lunar years.

Purim Yellow Jasper Grager Earrings

“Purim Katan” is also called the “fourteenth of the first Adar” in the Gemara. Therefore, when we choose to use the term “Purim Katan”, we are emphasizing that it has an aspect in which it is smaller than Purim, yet it comes first.

In the case of Purim the following day is Shushan Purim, and in the case of Purim Katan it is Shushan Purim Katan.
Purim Kattan is a microcosm of the larger Purim. It comes exactly thirty days before the "big" Purim and serves as an official reminder that it is time to begin preparing ourselves for the upcoming holy day. In essence, we have thirty extra days to put ourselves in the festival spirit.

Purim Hamantaschen Earrings

There is a significant connection between Purim and Purim Katan. As the Mishna teaches:

Megillah 6b ‘There is no difference between the fourteenth of the first Adar and the fourteenth of the second Adar save in the matter of reading the Megillah[3] and gifts to the poor’.

Jewish Holiday Gift Bag

Rabbi Eli Mansour teaches us about the effects of Purim Katan on our prrayers:

On these days we omit the Tahanunim[7] section of the prayer service, including the Viduyim.[8] We also omit the paragraph of “La’menase’ah” and “Tefila Le’David” which are incongruous with the festive nature of these days. Tahanunim is likewise omitted from Minha on the afternoon of the thirteenth of Adar Rishon. When the fifteenth of Adar Rishon falls on Shabbat, we do not recite “Sidkatecha” during Minha. (The fourteenth of Adar never falls on Shabbat, but the fifteenth can occur on Shabbat.)

The Code of Jewish Law cites an opinion that one should increase in festivity and joy, but rules that there is no obligation to do so; “Nevertheless, a person should increase somewhat in festivity... for ‘One who is of good heart is festive always’."

On Purim Katan there are no mitzvot performed. One can therefore feast, drink, and rejoice on every free moment of the day. Thus the idea of “He who is of a good heart rejoices continually” is seen most openly on Purim Katan.


Because Purim Katan falls on erev Shabbat when we are already beginning to expience the joy of Shabbat, suggests that 5771 is an especially auspicious time to maximize our joy by combining erev Shabbat with Purim Katan.

Source: http://www.betemunah.org/katan.html

 
We're getting ready for Purim and Passover. How about you? What are you doing?