It is a remnant of the ancient belief that was in the earliest times to shed blood of an animal, the sacrifice to please God. For the feast of Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement, which takes place ten days after Rosh- Hashanah, or the day of the Jewish New year, it is traditional to always consume chickens before and after this important day of fasting on which Jews go to pray in the synagogue. The Jewish belief is that in the ten-day period that separates us from the first of the year, God knows who will live and die in the coming year. Everyone wants to be included in the "book of life" so it is fervently felt that they should ask God for forgiveness for sins that were committed consciously or unconsciously in the preceding year.



Jews are more or less religiously inclined throughout the year, but the day of Yom Kippur is a sacred day. The synagogues and other places of Jewish worship are filled with men and women who are humble the face of God. They do penance by fasting for at least 26 hours since the fasting begins very early in the day, after the dinner they go to the synagogue for prayers. All the day of fasting Jews pray to merciful God to forgive them. "Mi âbon" (my fault in Hebrew) can be heard from the lips of every man, joining the gesture to the floor bears the hand on his heart. All are covered with a prayer shawl, a symbol of the shroud reminding every moment with humility that life and death come together all the time.

Two or three days before the Jewish families buy chickens that have been slaughtered by Rabbis. While in the past all families were buying live chickens and absolutely one per person and sacrificed a rooster for every man and a hen for each woman of the family.

The live chickens purchased several days before were well fed by people who had the place to put them in the meantime what some have called "The night of Saint-Barthelemy's chickens." The rabbis allowed to practise ritual slaughter went to each house where they were expected with a feverish impatience.

Mother would have had already prepared a bowl half full of ashes from burning charcoal that had been used to cook meals in a furnace or Kanoun earth. The Rabbi would seize the chicken, at the top of each in turn and gave a prayer by saying the name of each family member. This meant that the chicken would be slaughtered and was sacrificed before the day of fasting. After the prayer the Rabbi will bring back the chicken wings and the head that he keeps immobile with one hand. The blood which was falls on the ashes for a few seconds. The Rabbi places the chicken in a large bowl where he struggles for a moment to expire shortly afterwards. This is the fasting tradition of Jews at Rosh- Hashanah and Yom Kippur.