bsisa
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Definitions

  • n. A spiced and sweetened grain porridge eaten by Libyan and Tunisian Jews.

  • n. A ceremony performed by Libyan and Tunisian Jews on Rosh Chodesh Nisan, which commemorates the completion of the Tabernacle using the above dish, marking the transition from Purim to Passover.

Example Sentences

  • "I want you to teach me how to make the bsisa, and I’ll bless you." (source)

  • "Ne’eman also said that after the Bsisa ceremony, her family enjoys delicious helpings of couscous, the last before the Passover holiday." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Arabic / Judeo-Arabic

Etymology

  • بسيسة bsisa

      • Who Uses This

      • North African: Jews with ancestry in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, or Egypt

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • None

      Alternative Spellings

      bsissa

Notes

  • During the ceremony, the head of the household pours olive oil into the bowl and mixes it in with a key while reciting an Arabic blessing. Then, sometimes gold jewelry is placed in the bowl to symbolize the gold given for the construction of the Tabernacle, and family members dip their fingers in the bowl to bless and taste it.


    Also called el bsisa, lit. 'the bsisa.'

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