Burnt offerings

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on August 06, 2005

In Reply to: Burnt offerings posted by R. Berg on August 06, 2005

: : : : : : : : : I am trying to track down the origin of the phrase "Wave a dead chicken over it." I have frequently heard this phrase used when someone is attempting to fix a balky mechanical or electronic device - especially a computer. Any ideas?

: : : : : : : : : P.S. I just waved a dead chicken (well, a rubber chicken - that's certainly not alive) over my computer while posting this message ;-)

: : : : : : : : I am thinking voodoo ritual or some other attempt at magically fixing something.

: : : : : : : Wave a dead chicken is a saying which means to make a token effort (wave a dead chicken) which one knows will ultimately be completely useless but must be done nonetheless so others are satisfied that enough effort has been used to try and fix the problem.

: : : : : : : "I'll wave a dead chicken over the source code, but I really think we've run into an OS bug." It is a reference to the ritual animal sacrifices that some religions believe can prompt supernatural entities to render assistance.

: : : : : : : Compare voodoo programming, rain dance, casting the runes.

: : : : : : : Voodoo programming (a term derived from 'voodoo economics') is a tongue-in-cheek term for using a programming device, system or language which you do not fully understand. The implication is that the end result should not actually work, or even if it does work you will not know why. The term can also apply to doing something which you know should not work, but actually does work, such as recompiling some code which refuses to compile the first time.

: : : : : : : It is similar to black magic, except that black magic typically isn't documented and nobody understands it.

: : : : : : No one has mentioned "voodoo economics," George H.W. Bush's characterization of Ronald Reagan's economic plan while they were both campaigning for the presidency. Reagan won, and named Bush his Vice President, so Bush pretty much had to swallow his words. When he became President himself, Bush's own economic plan looked very much like voodoo economics to many people. SS

: : : : :
: : : : : Hey guys, be careful who you're accusing of voodoo! Old Testament Jewish ritual provided at some length for a form of sacrifice called the "wave offering", in which the priest simply waved the sacrificed animal or bird over the altar and the worshipper could then take it home and eat it (as opposed to the burnt offering, which you obviously didn't get to eat afterwards). The wave offering is described in Exodus 29:24,28; Leviticus 7:30,34; 8:27; 9:21; 10:14,15; 23:10,15,20; Numbers 6:20; 18:11,18,26-29. (VSD)

: : : : Waved. Burnt. In contrast, there's the only-very-occasional gratuity you'd give to a fortune teller, the medium rare offering.

: : : Voodoo or vodun is a very ancient religion.

: : : Voodoo practitioners believe in a supreme God and spirits who link the human with the divine. The spirits are summoned by offerings that include everything from rum to roosters.

: : : By using the word voodoo as an adjective to describe something we fear or do not understand or out of the ordinary is wrong. We do the same thing with other groups such as a Chinese Fire Drill, a Mexican shower etc.

: : : An inaccurate and sensational book (S. St. John, "Haiti or the Black Republic") was written in 1884. It described Vodun as a profoundly evil religion, and included lurid descriptions of human sacrifice, cannibalism, etc.

: : : This book caught the imagination of people outside the West Indies and was responsible for much of the misunderstanding and fear that is present today. Hollywood found this a rich source for Voodoo screen plays. Horror movies began in the 1930's and continue today to misrepresent Vodun.

: :
: : The Wikipedia makes a clear distinction between "voodoo" and "hoodoo", the two being two separate concepts.

: : Voodoo (or Vodun) is the theistic-animistic religion, originated in Benin and Togo and practised also in Haiti and Cuba.

: : Hoodoo is "New Orleans Voodoo", mostly composed of different forms of superstition. "Voodoo" dolls with needles are not a feature of Haitian religion, although dolls intended for tourists may be found in the Iron Market in Port au Prince. The practice became closely associated with the Vodou religions in the public mind through the vehicle of horror movies.

: : Probably the two terms overlap, but the distinction is clear, anyway.

: : M

: I thought "burnt offering" meant the sacrificial animal was cooked; possibly sacrifices formed the meat in the priests' diet. Any biblical scholars here?

No, the Old Testament is quite clear - a burnt offering was burnt. Here are the instructions for dealing with a bullock, from Leviticus Chapter 1:
And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. / And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. / And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: / And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar: / But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. (VSD)