The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-04-10
OF
PASSOVER
MOST IMPORTANT FES.
TIvAL IN THE JEWISH
CHRONOLOGY BEGINS
SACRED TO ALL BRANCHES
Some Quaint and interest
ing Customs Observed.
tBy Associated PressJ

New York, April 10.-Toaay marks
the beginning Of the feast Of the Pass
over, one of the most important Jew.
ish festivals Of the whole year. 1t is
the Jewish Easter, according 70 the
Hebrew chronology, and is observed |
by all branches Of the faith, the re
formed section sbbreviating the seas
on OF unleavened bread to seven days
and being less strict as to the fulfill
ment OF the ancient traditions The
initial services Of the feast are ii the
homes Of the worshippers. after a
season in the synagogue
one quaint and interesting custcm
which is observed by strictly orthodox
families is "B1rkas Chumetz' search.
ing for leaven, which begins twenty
flour hours before the Passover Then
in The strlctest silence the whole house
Is thoroughly searched, every closet
and corner is looked into to see that no
"chumetz' or leaven is left in the
bgildlng; for every orthodox Jew
deems II his solemn duty to see that
everything containing leayen is re-
novel from tie house. The head OF
the house, with large wooden spoon
and a feather IN one hand and a wax
taper in the other, followed by the rest
Of the family. searches the house thor
oughly from top TO bottom II any
crumbs of leaven should befound they
.are brushed into the spoon with the
feathsr. then the feather is placed on
, top and the two tied together with
j string On the following morning
the whole thing is burned, the house
declared clean, and preparations are
Immediately begun for the great feast
ON The following day
For week or more previous to the
Passover the pusheart men of the New
/. York ghetto make harvest In the
I: streets OF the lower East side their
r carts. which line the curbs, make the
thoroughfares almost inpassable. Ia
BILE ornaments, crockery. laces, rib
!, bons. pictures, lamps. baskets, groc
e eries. meats, and in fact almost all
= Fthe needs of the East slider are sup
1 piled from the pushcarts. Many in
o this season buy entire new outfits OF
y clothing in order that everything they
have on their bodies may be absolute
+ lly clean, and it is the ambition OF
e every Jewish housewife to have as
2 many new furnishings in her home on
this occasion as her purse can buy
Houses are swept and scrubbed from
top 10 bOttom. every sign Of dirt is re
. moved, and new furniture and cook
g ing utensils are bought 10 replace
y anything of the kind that shows signs
of being unsanitary. For those who
are too poor to buy new plates, there
u is the law of ''kosherng" A hole Is
{ dug in the ground, a stone or large
I piece of solid metal, which has beer
: brought to white heat is placed with
e in, and those things which are to be
4 ~koshered' are placed ON top. Boil
= ing water is then poured over this. an
"a the things are not removed until al
? steam has disappeared After beinl
rinsed the yare dried and put away
d ready for use.
p Only unleayened bread or mat
10th is allowed to be eaten il Pass
over week. and every family lays in .
supply over l250.000 pounds o
: .'maizoth, or Sl,25o,OOO cakes, are
E consumed in New York City by iti
Hebrew population every Passover
Il The orthodox and foreign Jews vii
u have nothing but hand made mat
Al zoih.~ but the American and Reforme,
4 Jews use those made by machinery.