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A little reason to celebrate

Passover

Religious · Date set each year

Passover, or Pesach, is the Jewish festival recalling the Exodus from Egypt, marked with the Seder meal, matzah and retelling the story at home.

Passover falls on Thursday, April 22, 2027. That is 177 days away.

Passover, also called Pesach, is a Jewish festival that recalls the Exodus, the story of the Israelites leaving slavery in Egypt. It is observed by Jewish communities around the world, and in the United States too, mostly at home with family and friends.

The best known part is the Seder, a ritual meal held on the first night (and in many homes the second night as well). The word Seder means order, and the evening follows one. Participants read from the Haggadah, a book that tells the story and guides the meal through blessings, songs and questions. The youngest at the table often asks the Four Questions, which open the retelling.

A Seder plate sits at the center, holding symbolic foods. Bitter herbs recall the bitterness of slavery. Charoset, a sweet mix often made with apples, nuts and wine, stands for the mortar the enslaved workers used. Four cups of wine or grape juice are poured over the course of the evening.

Throughout the festival, many observant households avoid chametz, meaning leavened grain products, and eat matzah instead. Matzah is a flat, unleavened bread made from flour and water, baked quickly so it does not rise. It recalls the haste of leaving Egypt, when there was no time for dough to rise.

Practices vary between families and traditions, from how strictly chametz is cleared to which songs close the Seder. Near the end of the meal, children often search for the afikoman, a piece of matzah hidden earlier in the evening, and the finder usually earns a small prize.

Ways to celebrate

• Learn what each item on a Seder plate represents.
• Try baking or tasting matzah and notice its simple ingredients.
• Read a version of the Passover story from a library book.
• Ask a friend who observes Passover about their family traditions, if they welcome it.

Dates

All national days on April 22

Also on April 22

• National Jelly Bean Day
• Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
• April Showers Day
• Girl Scout Leader Day

Categories: Religious days