Mexican town celebrates Easter with ‘burning of the Jews’

[nebula]

Mexican town celebrates Easter with ‘burning of the Jews’

A small Chiapas town ends its Holy Week observance by parading Jewish effigies through the streets, then setting them on fire

By Nathan Burstein April 10, 2012, 6:28 pm

<snip>

A newspaper in Mexico is detailing Sunday’s “burning of the Jews,” an annual tradition in Coita, a small town in the state of Chiapas. As part of the custom, locals spend the middle of their Holy Week making Jewish effigies — a reference to Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus before his crucifixion.

The fake Jews are then displayed for three days in different parts of the town, serving as an example of poor conduct.

They’re ultimately paraded through the streets on Easter Sunday, with local children assigned to stand in front of them and collect money for flammable materials.

More here

[other one]

that leaves me kind of speechless... I would hate for that to catch on around here.

[taylor30]

This is very disturbing. It always troubles me to see Christians acting very CHristian. I am curious where they get their justification for such a thing when God tells us to LOVE the Jews and that they are his people. If it is about Judas, someone should remind them that you can't hate a whole race for the sins of 1 man.

[jasoncran]

it doesnt matter what race it is we should love them so that they repent.

[OneLight]

That is so wrong in so many ways.

[jasoncran]

That is so wrong in so many ways.

thank god for paul wilbur, he was well appreciated when i had to argue with anti-semites on the net. provided me refuge of all things jewish.

[ayin jade]

Im still waiting for the link to load, but if its what I think it is, it isnt burning of the Jews. Its a mix of catholicism with pagan traditions that produced something completely different. It also occurs in the US and Ive watched it in person many times.

Ok it finally loaded. This is the Zoque culture. Its a bit different than the ones Ive seen (Mayo and Yaqui), which also burn Judas Iscariot. The ones Ive seen dont burn other Jewish effigies. They burn an effigy of the betrayer of Jesus: Judas. It is pagan. But it doesnt mean Jews are disrespected. It has to do with their concept of good and evil as personified by Judas. The tradition and rituals are what happened when catholicism mixed with the indigenous cultural traditions of mexico.

You would really have to understand the culture of masking traditions down there to grasp why they burn the effigies. It isnt antisemetic. Its a long standing centuries old tradition of rituals. Entire books have been written about the masking customs in Mexico. They have many more masking rituals too down there that have nothing to do with portrayal of Jews.

[ayin jade]

They are not Christian. They are Catholic, aren't they?

I have called it over the years "folk catholicism" because it isnt a straight catholicism but rather a religion that combines paganism with catholicism. The result is not even catholic any more and not salvationally accurate either.

[Guest shiloh357]

This is very disturbing. It always troubles me to see Christians acting very CHristian. I am curious where they get their justification for such a thing when God tells us to LOVE the Jews and that they are his people. If it is about Judas, someone should remind them that you can't hate a whole race for the sins of 1 man.

Many anti-Semites view Judas as the archetype or the model of a typical Jew. They will often refer to him as "Jewdas."

[nebula]

Thanks for the explanation, Jade.

Shiloh, yes that's something to consider.