Ultra-Orthodox Jews Prepare for Yom Kippur With Kaparot
Ahead of Yom Kippur, ultra-Orthodox Jews slaughter white chickens as part of a ritual to cleanse themselves of sins from the past year.
Kaparot is a custom connected to Yom Kippur, where white chickens are slaughtered as a symbolic gesture of atonement. The slaughtered chickens are then donated to the poor.
It is believed that one transfers one's sins from the past year into the chicken.
The kaparot ceremony is held before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which starts on Friday. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer.
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An ultra-Orthodox Jew takes part in Tashlich, the ritual of casting away sins of the past year into the water, at the Tel Aviv port along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea September 15, 2010. Credit: Reuters / Nir Elias
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An ultra-Orthodox Jew swings a chicken over the head of another as they perform the Kaparot ritual ahead of the holiday of Yom Kippur in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighbourhood September 15, 2010.Credit: Reuters / Baz Ratner
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An ultra-Orthodox Jew holds a chicken over his son's head as he performs the Kaparot ritual ahead of the holiday of Yom Kippur in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv September 15, 2010.Credit: Reuters / Nir Elias
Kaparot ritual
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