Grager

/ˈɡrɑː.ɡər/ noun

Definition

A rattle or noisemaker used during the Jewish holiday of Purim, traditionally swung to drown out the name of the villain Haman during the reading of the Megillah.

Etymology

From Yiddish grager, meaning rattle. The word appears in Yiddish and Hebrew liturgical contexts and may derive from the sound it makes or from Germanic roots.

Kelly Says

The grager is a unique religious noisemaker—when people hear Haman's name, the congregation intentionally creates noise to literally drown him out, turning a whole community into a participatory booing machine.

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