SAMARITANS, MODEllN
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SAMARITANS, MODERN
ed bread out of its dwelling, and a most careful search is made, so that the least fragment may not remain. Thus by the evening of the fourteenth day, all leavened bread and fermented drink are laid aside, and unleav- ened bread alone must be used during the seven follow- ing days, according to the law (Exod. xii, 18-20). This bread they call 7)iitsat, equivalent to the Hebrew matg- tsoth; and the cake is made in the same form as the Jewish 7>iatstsoth, except that it is a little larger, but of the same thickness. The Samaritans, like some of the strict Jews, hang up some of the cakes in their houses till the next Passover, believing them to have the power of charms in warding off evils and drawing many bless- ings upon the family. The first and seventh days of the feast are kept holy, according to Exod. xii, 16, but the seventh is considered the most sacred of the two. At early morn they form themselves into a procession and clamber up Gerizim, "in honor of God." There, on the sacred spot, the priest repeats the service for the day, which consists of lengthy portions of the law in- terspersed with prayers and songs.
(c.) Chcumin, the "fiftieth," equivalent to the Ylivrr]- KOdTY], Pentecost, of the New Test. It is thus called be- cause it falls upon the fiftieth day after the morrow of the Sabbath of the Unleavened Bread. The Samaritans differ from the Jews in reckoning these daj'S. The latter begin to count them from the second day of the Unleavened Bread, on whatever day of the week it may happen ; but the Samaritans commence on the morrow of the Sabbath which falls within the days of that feast, and cite as their authority Lev. xxiii, 15, 16. It is kept as a day to " rejoice before the Lord their God," on account of the bounties of his providence and the liberty to enjoy them in their own promised land (Deut. xvi, 9-12). This day likewise they go up Ger- izim in procession, and on the same place as before the service for the day is gone through, which contains all the references made in the law to the harvest, as well as prayers and songs.
(d.) A rish-sheiii, similar to the Jewish Rosh-haskanah, and always falls on the 1st of Tisri, that month being the commencement of the civil year with the Samari- tans as with the Jews. They keep this day as a holy convocation, in which no servile work is done (Lev. xxiii, 24). They attend synagogue, and the service lasts about six hours; but they neither have "blowing of trumpets," as in the Jewish synagogue, nor is the day regarded with the importance attached to it by the Jews.
(e.) Kibburim, equivalent to the Jewish Yo7n Kippur, Ci^ilSZil C'"^, Day of Atonement of the Jews, which is held on the tenth day of Tishri, according to the command (Lev. xxiii, 27-32), In a strict point of view, this is the most important day in the Samaritan calen- dar. On the ninth daj^ of the month, just two hours before sunset, all the communitj-, both male and female purify themselves by the free application of clean run- ning water, after which tliev |)artake of the last meal before the rjre<it fast. Tlie meal must be finished at least half an hour before sunset, when a rigid fast is observed until half an hour after sunset on the follow- ing day, making altogether a fast of twenty-five hours. During this time neither man, nor woman, nor child — not even the sick or suckling — is permitted to taste a )n(irsel of liread or a drop of water. No indulgence, however trifling it may be, is permitted, and the whole fast is kept with such rigor that even medicine to the sick would on no account be adtninistered. The day is therefore looked forward to with no little anxie- ty. They assemble at the synagogue a little before sunset, when the service commences and is kept u]i in solemn dai:kncss through the nitrlit. It consists of the reading of the law, together with special [trayers and supplications, portions of which are sung to their an cient melodies. The following morning they form a procession and visit the tombs of some of their proph
ets, where they repeat a portion of the service, and on their return at noon it is resumed in the synagogue. As it draws to a conclusion the principal ceremony takes place — namely, the exhibition of the ancient roll of the law, believed by them to be written by Abishua, the great-grandson of Aaron. Before the roll is cover- •ed and replaced, all step forward with eagerness to kiss it, as the opportunity only occurs annually. The ser- vice is undertaken by the priest and minister alternate- ly, with the occasional help of one of the congregation. A little after sunset the anxious and tedious duties of the solemn day are over.
(/".) Sekuth, the Jewish ri1~p, Tabernacles. The)' begin this festival on the fifteenth day of the same month, and keep it for seven daj'S, conforming literally to the injunctions in Lev. xxiii, 34-36, 40-43. On the eleventh day they begin the erection of the booths, which must be finished by the morning of the four- teenth. These are raised in the courts of their houses, in the open air. On each day of this feast service is held in the synagogue both morning and evening, and they make in procession a daily ascent of Gerizim, "in honor of God." No servile work is done, nor is any business transacted during these days, of which the eighth and last is held the most sacred.