The Jewish holiday of Passover is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the Jewish calendar. Learn more about the history and traditions of Passover with this quick guide.

The Passover Story
The Passover story comes from the first half of the Book of Exodus in the Bible. These pages describe the Jewish people’s plight under slavery in Egypt, and their subsequent escape to freedom.

History
Passover falls on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan (late March or April). Depending on your tradition, you might celebrate Passover for seven days, while others observe the holiday for eight days.

Passover is both agricultural and historical in origin. Also known as Chag haAviv, the “Festival of the Spring,” it reminds us of the early spring harvest in the former land of Canaan, now Israel. Much more commonly recognized for its historical significance, Passover is also known as Zman Cheruteynu, “The Season of Our Freedom.”

The name Passover is symbolic of the Angel of Death “passing over” the Jewish homes while killing the first born of the Egyptians, the last of the Ten Plagues before Pharaoh let the Jews go.

Traditions
Cleaning
During Passover Jews refrain from eating chametz, food with leavening such as bread, cookies, or pasta. Before Passover begins, families will clean their homes to clear out the chametz. Check out the stories, Izzy the Whiz and Passover McClean and Company's Coming to learn more.

Eating Matzah
During Passover, you'll probably eat matzah, a cracker-like bread substitute representing the bread that didn’t have time to rise when the Jews fled Egypt. Find some of our favorite matzah recipes here.

The Seder
The seder, held on the first one or two nights of the holiday, consists of a festive meal, the retelling of the Exodus story, and several other rituals and traditions, like finding the afikomen (a piece of matzah hidden during the ceremony), singing songs like "Dayenu," and opening the door symbolically for the prophet Elijah.

The Haggadah
During the seder, families will read from the Haggadah to tell the story of Passover and pass down the traditions and lessons of the story to their children, relatives, and friends. In Hebrew, Haggadah means "telling." This book is basically a guide for the seder and includes prayers, blessings, songs, and information for how the seder should be performed. Families everywhere add their own personal touches to make the script of the Haggadah their own.

The Seder Plate
During the seder, a special seder plate is adorned with symbolic foods that illustrate the story. Watch the video below to learn more:

Asking the Four Questions
Traditionally recited at the seder by the youngest child present, the Four Questions ask about certain Passover rituals:

On all other nights we eat either leavened or unleavened bread. On this night, why do we eat only unleavened matzah?
Answer: To remind us of the haste with which our ancestors left Egypt.

On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs. On this night, why only bitter herbs?
Answer: To remind us of the bitterness of slavery.

On all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once. On this night, why do we dip them twice?
Answer: Some say to remind us of our coming and going from Egypt.

On all other nights we eat sometimes sitting and sometimes reclining. On this night, why do we all recline?
Answer: To remind us of how free people relax.

Hiding the Afikomen
At the seder table, three matzahs are placed in a stack. Near the beginning of the seder, the middle matzah is broken in two pieces, and the larger piece of this matzah is called the afikomen. This piece will be wrapped and hidden, to be found at the end of the meal.

Opening the Door for Elijah
On each table is a goblet of wine called “Elijah’s Cup.” During the meal someone will open the door to welcome the prophet Elijah, exemplifying the line from the Haggadah "Let all who are hungry, come and eat."

Singing "Dayenu"
Many families will sing "Dayenu" during their seder. The word dayenu means “it would have been enough.” This joyous tune celebrates the many blessings God bestowed upon the Jewish people during their exodus from Egypt in ancient times. You can find several versions of "Dayenu" on our Passover playlist.

The Passover Story for Kids

The first Passover happened long ago in the far-away country of Egypt. A mean and powerful king, called Pharaoh, ruled Egypt. Worried that the Jewish people would one day fight against him, Pharaoh decided that these people must become his slaves. As slaves, the Jewish people worked very hard. Every day, from morning until night, they hammered, dug, and carried heavy bricks. They built palaces and cities and worked without rest. The Jewish people hated being slaves. They cried and asked God for help. God chose a man named Moses to lead the Jewish people.

Moses went to Pharaoh and said, “God is not happy with the way you treat the Jewish people. He wants you to let the Jewish people leave Egypt and go into the desert, where they will be free.” But Pharaoh stamped his foot and shouted, “No, I will never let the Jewish people go!” Moses warned, “If you do not listen to God, many terrible things, called plagues, will come to your land.”  But Pharaoh would not listen, and so the plagues arrived. First, the water turned to blood. Next, frogs and, later, wild animals ran in and out of homes. Balls of hail fell from the sky and bugs, called locusts, ate all of the Egyptians’ food.

Each time a new plague began, Pharaoh would cry, “Moses, I’ll let the Jewish people go. Just stop this horrible plague!” Yet no sooner would God take away the plague than Pharaoh would shout: “No, I’ve changed my mind. The Jews must stay!” So God sent more plagues. Finally, as the tenth plague arrived, Pharaoh ordered the Jews to leave Egypt.

Fearful that Pharaoh might again change his mind, the Jewish people packed quickly. They had no time to prepare food and no time to allow their dough to rise into puffy bread. They had only enough time to make a flat, cracker-like bread called matzah. They hastily tied the matzah to their backs and ran from their homes.

The people had not travelled far before Pharaoh commanded his army to chase after them and bring them back to Egypt. The Jews dashed forward, but stopped when they reached a large sea. The sea was too big to swim across. Frightened that Pharaoh’s men would soon reach them, the people prayed to God, and a miracle occurred. The sea opened up. Two walls of water stood in front of them and a dry, sandy path stretched between the walls. The Jews ran across. Just as they reached the other side, the walls of water fell and the path disappeared. The sea now separated the Jews from the land of Egypt. They were free!

Each year at Passover, we eat special foods, sing songs, tell stories, and participate in a seder – a special meal designed to help us remember this miraculous journey from slavery to freedom.

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