By HELEN KAYE, VIVA SARAH PRESSpurim, kids in costime 2(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
The annual Adloyada Parade will wend its merry way through the streets of Holon today in celebration of Purim. Altogether 4500 participants will take part - most of them groups, ranging from marching bands to acrobats to circus acts to street theater. The Children's Channel is co-sponsoring the event and the winner of its annual drawing/cartoon competition will be crowned king or queen of the Adloyada.
Cartoonists who recently set up a national association in Holon, let their imaginations run wild on the 15 huge floats that make the main body of the parade.
"I'm euphoric on the day of the parade," Zipi Ifat told The Jerusalem Post at last year's event. "I watch the children; I watch their eyes light up. And when the last float rolls by, I'm already thinking about next year's Adloyada."
Ifat is the woman behind the event. Fifteen years ago, she suggested to the Holon Municipality - Israel's official Children's City - that it initiate a grand parade with floats. Ifat used the skills she'd learned at an Italian arts school to build the floats, which this year range from 15 to an incredible 30 meters long.
Caricatured heroes of children's literature, the movies and TV are the theme behind this year's floats. Among others, Condoleezza Rice, Bush and Bin Laden replace the traditional goodies and baddies of the Purim story. Batman and Spiderman reflect the perils of gluttony, and Miss Piggy meets E.T.
The name Adloyada comes from the decree that on Purim we should "no longer be able to know the difference" (ad lo yadah) between Haman and Mordechai. The Holon Adloyada is not about intoxication due to alcohol, however, but due to excitement.
The Holon Adloyada kicks off at noon today, but street events will begin at 11 am.
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