Scrapbook with newspaper cuttings and photographs (Gaster Samaritan MS Add 15)

M. Gaster

A black-and-white photograph depicts a rocky, mountainous landscape. In the foreground, a man in a long robe stands on an ancient-looking stone wall or foundation. In the middle distance, a small encampment of white, cone-shaped tents is situated on the hillside. The scene represents Mount Gerizim during the Samaritan Passover ritual.

The Samaritan Passover

The annual feast of the Samaritan Passover is held on Mount Gerizim in Samaria. Six sheep are sacrificed, and their blood is marked on the foreheads and noses of all the people in the community. The sheep are afterwards boiled in water, the wool removed, and the carcasses roasted over burning faggots