Burning of Judas
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The Burning of Judas is an Easter-time festival in many Orthodox and Catholic Christian communities, where an effigy of Judas Iscariot is burned. Though not an official part of the Easter liturgical cycle, the custom is typically a part of the reenactment of the story of the Passion that is practiced by the faithful during Easter. Customs vary, but the effigy of Judas is typically hanged (reenacting Matthew 27:5) on Good Friday, then burned on the night of Easter Sunday.
The custom — also known in Spanish as la quema del judio ("the burning of the Jew") -- was once widely practiced across Europe, and is still being practiced in parts of Greece[1], Mexico[2], Brazil[3], Portugal, Spain, Venezuela and elsewhere.
Judas Burnings also took place in the district of Dingle, in Liverpool, England in the early 20th Century[4], until it was banned by the authorities. The burning of Judas is not traditional to England, although a very similar custom of burning Catholic rebel Guy Fawkes in effigy exists.
The practice was once cited in the United States State Department's Religious Freedom Report for Greece as alleged evidence of anti-semitism in Greece. The report incorrectly referred to the custom as the "burning of the Jew", whereas in Greece the term always used is "burning of Judas". In response, Archbishop Christodoulos, head of the Greek Orthodox Church, denied such allegations, stating that this practice refers to the image of "Judas the traitor" and not Jews in general[5]. This incorrect reference to the custom has since been removed from the State Department report.
