Area Jews will begin their celebration of Passover at sundown today after a day of final preparation for this celebration of their freedom.
WHAT IS PASSOVER? Passover or Pesach, one of the best-known Jewish holidays, is an eight-day celebration commemorating the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Passover is as known both for its connection to Jewish redemption and its ties with Christian history as the Last Supper was a Passover seder.
WHEN IS PASSOVER? Passover begins at sundown today and continues until night falls on April 14.
HOW DO JEWS PREPARE FOR PASSOVER? Jews don’t eat leavened products during Passover because Jews didn’t eat leavened products when they fled Egypt. During Passover, Jews may not eat, own or benefit from chometz, fermented or leavened, wheat, rye, oats, spelt and barley used in bread, pasta and other foods. These items have been allowed to ferment and rise. Jews must destroy or sell their chometz before the holidays.
Many Jewish households burn or give away their chometz, formally renouncing ownership of them.
WHAT DO JEWS EAT AT PASSOVER? Jews hold seders, festival meals in which the exodus story is retold and foods served symbolize elements in the story. The story is told with a Haggadah, a book detailing the Passover story in Hebrew and English.
Symbolic foods include matzo, unleavened bread resembling crackers; charoseth, a mixture of nuts, chopped apples, cinnamon and red wine to symbolize the mortar the Israelite slaves used to build cities for the pharoah; a roasted egg to symbolize new life; and karpas, parsley and celery dipped into salt water to remember the sweat and tears of the slaves.