In Djerba, Jews burn an effigy of the evil Haman at Purim. In Tunis, the celebrations are more restrained. Report on Tunisia Live:
The celebration commemorates the rescue of the Persian Kingdom’s Jews from Haman, the ancient Persian King’s adviser. The traditional Jewish story recounts how Haman’s attempt to massacre the Jews was halted by the King’s Jewish Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai.
Tunisian Jews fast during the day leading up to the festival of Purim, known as the Fast of Esther, and on the night of Purim they read the story of the holiday, which is known as the Meghilla. On Purim, they dress up in different costumes and eat various sweet foods. According to locals, many of the Tunisian sweet shops in Lafayette today use recipes originally mastered by Tunisian Jews who once heavily populated the neighborhood.
According to former Oxford University graduate student Naomi Stone, in her thesis Bilad al Haqaniya?: Otherness and Homeland in the Case of Djerban, Tunisian Jewry, the Jewish community in Djerba is the only Jewish community in the world that celebrates the holiday by burning a large effigy of Haman the morning of Purim.
The centuries-old tradition was lost by other Jewish communities over time but was retained in Djerba. In her thesis, published in 2006, Stone observed children throwing firecrackers at the burning effigy of Haman.