Can I respectfully ask what's the deal with swinging a chicken over your head the day before Yom Kippur?

Most Jews, even really observant ones think this is an unnecessary practice from those weird old days of animal sacrifice. Most people just fast and think about their sins and forgiveness on Yom Kippur. For those who DO those types of rituals, it's a symbol of passing their sins away. They don't LITERALLY believe the sins pass into a chicken so they get off scott free.

Most of the religious people I talk to speak of it as an outdated ritual, kind of like....hmm....the symbolic eating of Christ's blood and flesh. Or how about collecting easter eggs for a holiday centered around a pagan Germanic holiday? Or how about celebrating the pagan winter solstice with a decorated tree? Sound familiar? Paganism left its traces everywhere, and most Jews try to get rid of such pagan practices.

If I remember correctly, you ritually pass your sins to the chicken which is then slaughtered. Kind of like the workings behind the whole sacrifice of Jesus thing in Christianity.

Gecko L: You're wrong, it's not bashing Christianity, you should realize that it's based on Judaism and it's not surprising that many basic concepts are the same.

The life is in the blood. According to the plan, the blood of a lamb transferred people's sins into the sanctuary, then they were dealt with, and brought out and placed onto two goats on the day of Atonement. (Yom Kippur) Since there is no temple, and no Goats, various people make do with various substitutes. It is kind of like 'last call' before the 'bar' closes. (Which substitutes YAHOSHUA approves, is another, and more important, question)

I don't know anyone who does this -- it's not part of the religion. Probably just a tradition developed by a few folks someplace (it sounds vaguely familar from a part of Eastern Europe).

Um, actually...Maurog is correct. He may mean it slightingly, but he's right. Jesus died for our sins. He is the lamb of God. He took the punishment for OUR wrongdoing. So Maurog is right in saying "the whole sacrifice of Jesus thing," because that is what happened. Don't cuss at people you disagree with. It indicates a poverty of vocabulary, at the very least, if not of mind.

It's a scapegoat thing. The evils and sins of the community are passed into the bird which is then thrown out or buried.

It's a symbol.

Don't have too much time to write out an answer, so:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapparos

It's not too widespread of a custom.

Hope it helps.

actually that is a phenomenally obscure thing that almost nobody actually does.

in fact I would bet that 80%+ of Jewish people have never even HEARD of that. let alone done it.

kinda like when muslims beat themselves with swords until they bleed, it's a ritual.

Which appears to be pagan in nature if you ask me. :)

Sounds crazy to me.