Kapparot (Hebrew: כפרות) is an ancient Jewish ritual where one takes a chicken (or hen in the case of women) and moves it around one's head three times, symbolically transferring one's sins to the object, also known as Atonement. The object is then slaughtered or donated to the poor, preferably eaten at the pre-Yom Kippur feast.
Chabad: Kapparot: The Chicken Thing
The Jerusalem Post: Chicken ritual is foul, animal rights groups say
