THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



BETROTHED 



Among the Samaritans, as with most Ori- 

 entals, the parents of the children arrange the 

 matches. The betrothal often takes place when 

 the bride and bridegroom are mere infants, 

 while early marriages are the rule. 



forward from the hips, in token of rever- 

 ence and submission. 



The high priest, who has been facing 

 the crest of Gerizim with the congrega- 

 tion, now turns about and repeats an anti- 

 phon, to which the leading men reply, and 

 in conclusion a psalm is sung. 



The aged high priest now mounts the 

 fragment of an ancient column and in a 

 low, quavering voice sings a short hymn. 



With his eyes upon the setting sun, he 

 reads the first twelve verses of the twelfth 

 chapter of Exodus, wherein are given the 

 first commands regarding the observance 

 of the Passover. 



KILLING THE SACRIFICE 



In the meantime the youths and boys 

 have carried out the lambs and are hold- 

 ing them in a circle about the trench- 

 altar, where the caldrons of water are al- 

 ready boiling. 



Over the lambs stand three slaughterers 

 with glistening knives of razor sharpness, 

 for, like the Jews, only those recognized 

 as knowing the laws regarding kosher and 

 taraf (ritually clean and unclean meat) 

 are allowed to do the killing. As the 

 reading proceeds, it is so arranged that, 

 as the passage "then shall all the convo- 

 cation of the assembly of Israel slay it be- 

 tween the two evenings" is spoken, at 

 the word "slay," with one deft stroke 

 downward, each of the three slaughterers 

 cuts one throat and jumps to the next. 



In a few seconds all have been sacri- 

 ficed, the white clothing of the boys hold- 

 ing the struggling lambs being much be- 

 spattered with blood. Thus the passage 

 "between the evenings" the Samaritans 

 translate to mean between sunset and 

 dark, the twilight hour in these lands be- 

 ing very short. "Thou shalt sacrifice the 

 Passover in the evening, at the going in 

 of the sun, at the very time thou earnest 

 forth out of Egypt." 



As the slaying commences the great 

 throngs of Samaritans and Gentiles cease 

 to crowd about the priest who is reciting 

 and press around the altar. All is a 

 veritable Babel, with prayers repeated, 

 shouting, singing, and clapping of hands. 



The joy exhibited is akin to that of 

 our children on Christmas morning or 

 when around the blazing tree, and re- 

 minds one of the light-heartedness of the 

 Jews when celebrating the feast of Purim, 

 commemorating as it does the destruction 

 of their enemy, Haman. During all this 

 excitement some of the little Samaritan 

 girls and boys make their way among the 

 sacrifices, and the latter with their finger 

 ends dot their faces with daubs of the 

 paschal blood. 



One of the young priests collects a 

 quantity of the fresh blood in a basin and 



