April 2023

Passover

Passover is a festival that is celebrated by people of the Jewish faith.  Passover is also called Pesach. The holiday lasts for eight days. Passover is typically during March or April. Passover is a holiday that celebrates God freeing the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.  Passover remembers the journey of the ancient Hebrews leaving slavery in Egypt and going to the “Promise Land” of Israel. On the first or second night of Passover, most families gather (come) together for a Seder; a ritual meal. For the Seder, Jewish people eat specific foods, do specific rituals, and say specific prayers. For tradition, the Seder will include matzah, unleavened bread, Also, maror, which is bitter herbs. In addition, a lamb or shank bone is used, but no lamb is eaten. Another important part of the Seder, is the wine. Typically, there will also be matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, brisket, roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, or potato kugel for dinner. During Passover, children play a game called afikoman. A piece of matzah is broken in half, one half of the matzah is put on the table, and the other half is hidden somewhere in the house. Then, the children search for the hidden piece of matzah, the person who finds the matzah receives a prize.