Chad Gadya

Main article: Passover songs

Chad Gadya (Aramaic: חַד גַדְיָה chad gadya, "one little goat, or "one kid"; Hebrew: "echad gedi") is a playful cumulative song, written in Aramaic with Hebrew words interspersed. In Ashkenazi Jewish custom, it concludes the Passover Seder. It is believed to be derived from Medieval German folk music.

The song is popular with children and similar to other cumulative songs: Echad Mi Yodea, ("Who Knows 'One'?) another cumulative song, is also in the Passover Haggadah.

Lyrics

	English ONE LITTLE GOAT	Transliteration Chad Gadya	Aramaic חַד גַּדְיָא
Verse 1:
	One little goat, one little goat:	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew
	Which my father bought for two zuzim.	dizabin abah bitrei zuzei.	Template:Hebrew
Verse 2:
	One little goat, one little goat:	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew
	The cat came, and ate the goat,	ve-ata shunra ve-akhlah le-gadya	Template:Hebrew
	Which my father bought for two zuzim.	dizabin abba bitrei zuzei.	Template:Hebrew
Verse 3:
	One little goat, one little goat:	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew
	The dog came, and bit the cat, that ate the goat,	ve-ata kalba ve-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya	Template:Hebrew
	Which my father bought for two zuzim.	dizabin abba bitrei zuzei.	Template:Hebrew
Verse 4:
	One little goat, one little goat:	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew
	The stick came, and beat the dog,	ve-ata chutra, ve-hikkah le-khalba	Template:Hebrew
	that bit the cat, that ate the goat,	de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya	Template:Hebrew
	Which my father bought for two zuzim.	dizabin abba bitrei zuzei.	Template:Hebrew
Verse 5:
	One little goat, one little goat:	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew
	The fire came, and burned the stick,	ve-ata nura, ve-saraf le-chutra	Template:Hebrew
	that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat,	de-hikkah le-khalba, de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya	Template:Hebrew
	Which my father bought for two zuzim.	dizabin abba bitrei zuzei.	Template:Hebrew
Verse 6:
	One little goat, one little goat:	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew
	The water came, and extinguished the fire,	ve-ata maya, ve-khavah le-nura	Template:Hebrew
	that burned the stick, that beat the dog,	de-saraf le-chutra, de-hikkah le-khalba	Template:Hebrew
	that bit the cat, that ate the goat,	de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya	Template:Hebrew
	Which my father bought for two zuzim.	dizabin abba bitrei zuzei.	Template:Hebrew
Verse 7:
	One little goat, one little goat:	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew
	The ox came, and drank the water,	ve-ata tora, ve-shatah le-maya	Template:Hebrew
	that extinguished the fire, that burned the stick,	de-khavah le-nura, de-saraf le-chutra	Template:Hebrew
	that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat,	de-hikkah le-khalba, de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya	Template:Hebrew
	Which my father bought for two zuzim.	dizabin abba bitrei zuzei.	Template:Hebrew
Verse 8:
	One little goat, one little goat:	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew
	The slaughterer came, and killed the ox,	ve-ata ha-shochet, ve-shachat le-tora	Template:Hebrew
	that drank the water, that extinguished the fire,	de-shatah le-maya, de-khavah le-nura	Template:Hebrew
	that burned the stick, that beat the dog,	de-saraf le-chutra, de-hikkah le-khalba	Template:Hebrew
	that bit the cat, that ate the goat,	de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya	Template:Hebrew
	Which my father bought for two zuzim.	dizabin abba bitrei zuzei.	Template:Hebrew
Verse 9:
	One little goat, one little goat:	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew
	The Angel of Death came, and slew the slaughterer,	ve-ata mal'akh ha-mavet, ve-shachat le-shochet	Template:Hebrew
	who killed the ox, that drank the water,	de-shachat le-torah, de-shatah le-maya	Template:Hebrew
	that extinguished the fire, that burned the stick,	de-khavah le-maya, de-saraf le-chutra	Template:Hebrew
	that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat,	de hikkah le-khalba, de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya	Template:Hebrew
	Which my father bought for two zuzim.	dizabin abba bitrei zuzei.	Template:Hebrew
Verse 10:
	One little goat, one little goat:	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew
	Then came the Holy One, Blessed be He,	ve-ata ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu	Template:Hebrew
	and smote the Angel of Death, who slew the slaughterer,	ve-shachat le-mal'akh ha-mavet, de-shachat le-shochet	Template:Hebrew
	who killed the ox, that drank the water,	de-shachat le-tora, de-shatah le-maya	Template:Hebrew
	that extinguished the fire, that burned the stick,	de-khavah le-nura, de-saraf le-chutra	Template:Hebrew
	that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat,	de-hikkah le-khalba, de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya	Template:Hebrew
	Which my father bought for two zuzim.	dizabin abba bitrei zuzei.	Template:Hebrew
Verse 11:
	One little goat, one little goat.	Chad gadya, chad gadya,	Template:Hebrew

Symbolism of Chad Gadya

At first glance, this song seems merely a playful, cumulative song, much akin to "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," but deep symbolism is a part of Chad Gadya. Many, many explanations have been written, and a few follow:

Some Jewish or Zionist thinkers believe Chad Gadya shows the different nations that have inhabited Israel: the kid being the Jewish people, the cat, Assyria; the dog, Babylon; the stick, Persia; the fire, Macedonia; the water, Rome; the ox, the Saracens; the slaughterer, the Crusaders; the Angel of Death, the Turks. At the end, God returns to send the Jews back to Israel.

Or, of course and more prosaically, it may be just something for the children to look forward to so that they will stay awake.

Other usage

• In Yiddish slang, the term "chad gadya" is a euphemism for jail. A prisoner is said to languish in a chad gadya — that is, all alone.
• Chad Gadya was the pseudonym of Marousia (Miriam) Nissenholtz, the only female student at Bezalel Art School in Palestine in 1912.

See also

• Passover Seder
• Passover