The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-05-03
The Jewish Passover.

The Jewish Passover, in accordance will
the Divine Injunction, was to last sever
days; the first and seventh to be kept as
holy convocation, and no servile work wa!
to be done. itabbinical enactments have
extended the time one day, and made the
first, second, seventh, and eighth holy
days. This festival is not 80 generally MOI
so religiously observed as formerly, except
by the very orthodox. For week ante
rlor, the Jewish matron is busily engaged
IN house cleaning and removing all traces
OF leayen, locking up rooms and pantries
not in use, and on the morning of the eve,
finishing with the dining room.
All crockery and cooking utensils arc
put by, and either new or those kept es
pccial]y for the Passover week, brought
into requisition, Everything being in or.
der, the master Of the house inspccts each
room, searching for leaven, without the
remotcst expec tation Of finding q particle.
Strict constructlonists having provisions OF
any kind left on hand give them away TO the
poor Of different creeds, whilst others lock
them in room, TO be brought into use
AGAIN when the week is over. Articles of
food, such as rice, that swell in process Of
cooking, arc discarded.
In different parts of Europe, the congre-
cations unite i'll sending inspectors into the
different countries where tea, coffee, ,raisns,
currants. and various condiments arc grown
and cured, who supervise, pack, and put
their seal on them previous to shipping,
the object oeing to exclude lcavcn, for
which tho consumers have to pay an en-
hanced price. Here they are purchased IN
the usual manner at wholesale, and on the
plea that they are free from leaven, sold to
consumers at extortionate rates, which inl-
posture is very generally submitted to. The
only liquor drank Is st. Croix o. Jamaica
rum, 1t being distilled from sugar or mo-
lasses instead of grain.
The home religious services are peculiar;
on the eve of the first and second days, a
table is spread, on which is placed plate
with three passover biscuits between nap
kins, and another plate on top of the bis
cult containing burnt loin of lamb and
roasted egg (Which is emblemalical of the
burnt Offering of ancient limes) paresly,
horsel adish, bitter herbs, salt aud water,
and mixture composed of fine cut al
monds, apples and spices.
After the family are seated and raisip
wine placed before each, the master of the
house reads the prayers, or rather Rabbin-
lcal essays, OF why the passover should be
observed III this ceremonial manner, after
which they drink the wine, partakc of the
bitter. herbs and mixture, then a supper
feast, after which songs OF praise for their
ancestors dcliveranoe from bondage, finish
the evaning. The bitter herbs and mix
ture are commemorative of tho bitterness
OF their captivity when they made bricks
and mortar for the Egyptians. The young
members of the family slyly throw the
bitter herbs under the table, while they eat
the mixture with much guslo. Judicial re-
formation with its rdtlonalistlc tendencies
10 making serious inroads into these as
well as 0tncr CcIUurunrai oueo.-,.-.e-J OF tho
chosen people, but the absurdlty of ma,ly
OF them might well be overlooked in view
Of the beneficial sanitary effects obtained
ny their establishment and strict adhcr-
ence lheIeunto.