WEST BANK: Members of the Samaritans celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover in the West Bank with a ritual slaughter of sheep

Record ID: 565276

  • Title: WEST BANK: Members of the Samaritans celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover in the West Bank with a ritual slaughter of sheep
  • Date: 13th April 2014
  • Summary: MOUNT GERIZIM , WEST BANK (APRIL 13, 2014) (REUTERS) SAMARITANS GATHERING TO CELEBRATE JEWISH HOLIDAY OF PASSOVER VARIOUS OF SHEEP THAT THEY WANT TO SLAUGHTER AS PART OF THEIR RELIGIOUS RITUAL PEOPLE PUTTING WOOD IN HOLE TO BURN IT CLOSE OF FIRE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAMARITAN PRIEST, HAROUN SALOUM, SAYING: "This holiday is for seven days, first day is the slaughter day. We eat during this holiday only stuff without yeast, for example we make the bread at home without yeast." VARIOUS OF SAMARITANS DURING CELEBRATIONS VARIOUS OF SAMARITANS PRAYING
  • Embargoed: 28th April 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Religion,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVABUNG9K03RPWKH18HTF9YPIWX4
  • Story Text: Several hundred Samaritans gathered in the West Bank area of Mount Gerizim to celebrate Passover on Thursday (April 13), where tourists also arrived to watch their annual sheep slaughter ritual.
    The Samaritans, a Jewish sect whose name translates into "Keepers of the Law", trace their origins back to the ancient Israelites.
    Many of them reside on Mount Gerizim near the West Bank city of Nablus. Men prepared a fire pit ahead of the service, which began just before sunset, with Samaritan men chanting and praying.
    According to Samaritan priest Haroun Saloum, slaughtering the sheep kicks off the celebrations of the passover.
    "This is holiday is for seven days, first day is the slaughter day. We eat during this holiday only stuff without yeast, for example we make the bread at home without yeast," he said.
    Traditionally, when the signal is given, the head of each household takes a knife to slice the throat of his family's lamb. When the deed is accomplished, they begin cheering and clapping and congratulating each other. The sheep are then skinned and put on a skewer and carried over to the roasting pit to be cooked for most of the night.
    With over 700 rituals distinguishing between Jews and Samaritans, they keep to their own faith and have differentiated themselves from Jews since the 6th century BC.
    The Samaritans of Nablus consider themselves Palestinians, carrying Palestinian identity cards and passports. Some were given Israeli identity cards, while others hold Jordanian passports.
    Most of the 650 community members reside in the shadow of what they believe is a sacred site in the West Bank -- on Mount Gerizim. The rest of the community lives in the central Israeli city of Holon. Samaritan historians say there were 1.2 million Samaritans 1,400 years ago.
    Most of them were killed by Byzantine, and in 1917 only 146 were left. Samaritans are mentioned in the Bible for offering help to Jesus, which is where the widely-used term "Good Samaritan" is derived.
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