Zionist Organization of America

The Hebrew word kapparah means atonement and kapparot is a Jewish ritual practiced by some Jews during the 10 days of repentance preceding Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. 

In this ritual, the penitent swings a live chicken over their head three times thus symbolically transferring their sins to the chicken. The chicken is then slaughtered and donated to the poor for consumption at the pre-fast meal. In some cases, coins are substituted for a live chicken — many Jewish communities have rejected the use of chickens on grounds of tza’ar ba’alei chayim (cruelty to animals) — but certain ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, both in Israel and in the Diaspora, continue the tradition of using live chickens for kapparot.