Community members spend most of the Sabbath in the mesgid and may not light fire, draw water, leave the bounds of the village or engage in sexual intercourse. The Beta Israel celebrate festivals according to a lunar calendar exactly as the Torah prescribes. Beta Israel fast on Yom Kippur, during the Hebrew month of Av in order to solemnize the destruction of the Temple and to commemorate the Fast of Esther. Cleanliness is an essential part of Beta Israel ritual. After the time of impurity the woman shaves her head, goes to the mikveh , washes her clothes and burns the confinement hut.
Male circumcision takes place on the eighth day after birth.
Some villagers do practice female circumcision, though this practice is dying out. There is controversy over whether the Ethiopian festival of Seged has Jewish or Christian origins. Seged, held on the 29 th of Chesvan, about November, is a pilgrimage festival which has as its focal point the march of the Beta Israel, all carrying stones on their shoulders, up a large hill led by priests. People then bring bread, beer and drums to the synagogue and they dance around with the Torah. Jay plans to visit Ethiopia by the end of 2000 and will return with images and news from any Jewish community that remains there.