Orthodox Jews wave chickens over heads to purge them of sins ahead of Yom Kippur, or 'day of atonement'.

Record ID: 84431

  • Title: Orthodox Jews wave chickens over heads to purge them of sins ahead of Yom Kippur, or 'day of atonement'.
  • Date: 10th October 2016
  • Summary: JERUSALEM (OCTOBER 10, 2016) (REUTERS) ULTRA ORTHODOX JEWS GATHERING TO PERFORM 'KAPPAROT', A RITUAL TO CLEANSE THEMSELVES FROM SINS AHEAD OF YOM KIPPUR, OR 'DAY OF ATONEMENT' VARIOUS OF PEOPLE BUYING CHICKEN TO PERFORM THE RITUAL VARIOUS OF ULTRA ORTHODOX JEWS WAVING CHICKEN OVER THEIR HEADS SYMBOLICALLY PASSING THEIR SINS ONTO THE ANIMAL ULTRA ORTHODOX JEW PERFORMING CEREMONY OVER CHILDREN'S HEADS (SOUNDBITE) (English) HANOCH SHWENGER, WHO CAME TO PERFORM 'KAPPAROT' RITUAL, SAYING: "Religious Jews do it as an atonement for their sins throughout the year. There are different customs how to do it - with money, with chickens. Here they do it with chickens and then they slaughter the chickens afterwards." TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (OCTOBER 9, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ULTRA ORTHODOX JEWS PRAYING IN FRONT OF SEA, PERFORMING THE 'TASHLICH' RITUAL TO CLEANSE THEMSELVES OF SINS AHEAD OF YOM KIPPUR, THE DAY OF ATONEMENT ULTRA ORTHODOX MAN HOLDING PRAYER BOOK AND PRAYING PRAYER BOOK ULTRA ORTHODOX MAN HOLDING PRAYER BOOK AND PRAYING ULTRA ORTHODOX JEW EMPTYING HIS POCKETS SYMBOLICALLY CASTING HIS SINS OUT TO SEA PRAYER BOOK/ MAN PRAYING MORE OF ULTRA ORTHODOX MEN PRAYING (SOUNDBITE) (English) AARON MAAYAN, WHO CAME TO PERFORM THE 'TASHLICH' RITUAL, SAYING: "We are doing an old custom of throwing our sins to the water. You know, Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish religion, so we come here to throw our sins to the water."
  • Embargoed: 25th October 2016 12:31
  • Keywords: Israel Jerusalem Yom Kippur Jewish holidays
  • Location: JERUSALEM/TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
  • City: JERUSALEM/TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA00153F9EFB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Waving chickens over their heads or emptying their pockets into a river are just some of the rituals Jews carry out ahead of the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur.
    Traditionally, Orthodox Jews perform rituals to cleanse themselves from sins ahead of Yom Kippur, or 'day of atonement', which begins Tuesday (October 11) at sundown.
    In Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood of Mea Shearim, people took part in a custom called 'Kapparot'. Traditionally, Orthodox Jews believe that by waving a live chicken over their head, it will purge them of their sins by symbolically passing them onto the animal.
    In Tel Aviv, some orthodox Jews performed the 'Tashlich' ceremony where people empty their pockets into a running source of water, symbolically casting their sins out to the sea.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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