Hollekreisch information

Hollekreisch, sometimes referred to as “Hoolegrasch” or “Hallekreisch”, is a birth ritual practiced by Ashkenazi Jews. It pertains to the naming of sons and daughters and is a ceremony practiced by children. The name given in this ceremony is not the sacred Hebrew name, but the name used in every-day life. The ceremony first appeared in the Middle Ages in the regions of Alsace, Southern Germany and Switzerland and is still practiced in certain parts of Switzerland and Alsace, despite the initial belief that it had disappeared.