Let's celebrate ! Passover - Seder

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, along with its date. Passover is one of the Jewish religion’s most sacred holidays and commemorates the Israelites’ departure from ancient Egypt and slavery. The story of Passover tells that God helped the Israelites escape slavery in Egypt by inflicting the Ten Plagues on the Egyptians before the Pharaoh would release them. These plagues consisted of:  water turned to blood, frogs, lice, flies, disease of livestock, unhealable boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of all first-born children. The Israelites were instructed to mark their doorposts with the blood of a spring lamb, and by doing so, the Lord would “pass over” their homes and leave their children unharmed.  During Passover, no leavened bread is eaten, and traditional meals known as Seders take place.

Passover Traditions - The following are just a few Passover traditions:

Passover Seder :

One of the most important parts of the Passover celebration is the ceremony of Seder (which means “order” in Hebrew). All the rituals are observed in a particular order on this day. Seders consist of lavish meals, special foods, stories, and histories of Passover.

Seder Plate - It usually has five foods that have a special Passover meaning:

1. Karpas – a green vegetable representing the initial flourishing of the Israelites during the first years in Egypt.
2. Charoset – a mix of fruits, wine or honey, and nuts to symbolize the mortar that the Israelite slaves used to construct buildings.
3. Maror – a bitter herb that represents tasting the bitterness of slavery.
4. Z’roa – a roasted lamb shank bone meant to represent the lamb that the Jews sacrificed as a special Passover offering.
5. Beitzah – a roasted egg that symbolizes the festival sacrifice offered in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Seder Wine - Four glasses of wine are poured during the Seder in recognition of the four main stages of Exodus that led Hebrew slaves to the promised land of freedom.  These stages were: Freedom, Deliverance, Redemption, and Release.

Matzo - The baking of unleavened flatbread is a symbol of the Passover holiday and eaten during the Passover week.

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