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Burning Jews in Mexico

One quaint Mexican town in the area of Ocozocoautla de Espinosa, Chiapas has an unusual Easter tradition: The Burning of the Jews.

While other Mexican states find other ways to celebrate Easter, such as the burning of "boredom" or "bad moods," as a part of the diverse traditions that strengthen the Zoque culture in that region of Mexico, during Easter Week the townsfolk burn the Jews in effigy.

During the afternoon and evening of the Wednesday before Easter Sunday, they begin decorating the town with effigies of Jews. These are allusions to Judas Iscariot, who sold Jesus Christ for a few coins. For three days the "Jews" are displayed in different places in the towns. In the Unión Hidalgo neighborhood, the "Jews" are hung in the highest part of the church, as an admonition of what one should not do. Everything revolves around the death and resurrection of Jesus.

On Easter Saturday or Sunday, depending upon which town is celebrating, participants march the streets to where the "Jews" are hanging. On each corner, dozens of children beg the townsfolk for money, which they use to buy gas and firecrackers to place inside the hanging effigies of the "Jews."

This tradition, which has the support of the government and the Church, ends with the townsfolk drinking a rich cocoa pozol while the Jews are burned on Easter Sunday night. The Chiapas Herald, oblivious of the implications of the ritual, reports that it "fosters unity and respect" and "purifies the soul."

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One quaint Mexican town in the area of Ocozocoautla de Espinosa, Chiapas has an unusual Easter tradition: The Burning of the Jews.

While other Mexican states find other ways to celebrate Easter, such as the burning of "boredom" or "bad moods," as a part of the diverse traditions that strengthen the Zoque culture in that region of Mexico, during Easter Week the townsfolk burn the Jews in effigy.

During the afternoon and evening of the Wednesday before Easter Sunday, they begin decorating the town with effigies of Jews. These are allusions to Judas Iscariot, who sold Jesus Christ for a few coins. For three days the "Jews" are displayed in different places in the towns. In the Unión Hidalgo neighborhood, the "Jews" are hung in the highest part of the church, as an admonition of what one should not do. Everything revolves around the death and resurrection of Jesus.

On Easter Saturday or Sunday, depending upon which town is celebrating, participants march the streets to where the "Jews" are hanging. On each corner, dozens of children beg the townsfolk for money, which they use to buy gas and firecrackers to place inside the hanging effigies of the "Jews."

This tradition, which has the support of the government and the Church, ends with the townsfolk drinking a rich cocoa pozol while the Jews are burned on Easter Sunday night. The Chiapas Herald, oblivious of the implications of the ritual, reports that it "fosters unity and respect" and "purifies the soul."

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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