The most important part of the Passover celebration is the ceremony of
Seder. 'Seder' means 'order' in Hebrew and thus, all its rituals are
observed in a particular order on this day. Seders are observed on the
first 2 nights of the 8 day holiday with lavish meals, special foods,
stories and history of Passover, plates, silverware, songs and prayers.
It is the time for family and friends to gather together and observe
their long held traditions and customs. On the first night of Passover,
a thorough search is made throughout the homes and elaborate cleaning
takes place to clear them of all yeast foods and grains called chametz.
This chametz has to be either consumed before Passover or 'sold'
temporarily to the non-Jewish neighbors and friends and can be bought
again later after the Passover. The utensils of daily use are replaced
by special dishware and silverware during the Passover holidays.
Leavened foods are not allowed and foods that are 'Kosher for Passover'
are the only ones that should be eaten during these days. Thus matzoh
and foods containing matzoh are consumed greatly in the remembrance of
the Israelites who fled quickly into the desert and had no time to bake
proper bread for themselves. The Seder table has the Seder plate as its
centerpiece.
The Seder table also has three pieces of matzoh placed in a Matzoh
Cover. The middle one is broken before the meal begins into half. While
one half is returned to the Matzoh Cover, the other half known as the
'Afikomen' is hidden. The children have to hunt for it after the Seder
meal and the child who finds it gets a special reward. Some people break
the Afikomen in many pieces so that each child may receive a prize. The
idea is to keep the children attentive during the ceremony, waiting for
the fun. Four cups of wine are drunk on this day to represent the four
stages of Exodus and finally, Seder finishes after the child or children
find the Afikomen and everyone gets a piece from it.
