Passover always begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. Since the Jewish day begins at sundown the night before, it lasts eight days, or seven in Israel. During this time, observant Jews do not eat or drink or make contact with any edible or non-edible product that has yeast in it. The Jewish holiday of Passover dates back to more than 3,000 years, when the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptian Pharoah Ramses II, who “worked them mercilessly” and forced them to build Pithom and Raamses as store cities for him. Moses, a shepherd, was chosen by God to ask to Pharoah to give the Israelites their freedom, but the tyrant refused. Then God had Ten Commandments ordered to free Israelites from Egypt. Passover rituals are followed religiously to commemorate this freedom. Read the article to know more about the same.
Jewish Passover Rituals
Pesach Cleaning
Passover needs a lot of preparation and groundwork. It begins the day after Purim, which happens a month earlier. However, women folk start preparing it as early as Chanukah. According to the commandants in the torah, Jews are forbidden to eat chometz. It is anything made of the five grains wheat, barley, rye, oats, and spelt. Chometz is a thing that can be leavened without adding any fermenting agent. Chometz can rise at 18 minutes of time when exposed to water. Pesach cleaning is done to eliminate all items used for the food of the chometz. The entire house is cleaned especially the kitchen. This is to honor the Jews leaving Egypt who did not have time to allow their bread to rise. Matzah must be made from one of these grains, and it is the only grain product allowed during Passover.
Bedikat Chometz
This is an important ritual of searching for chometz. The house is cleaned, but you have to still search for chometz. So people put ten pieces of chometz around the house. The family members search for the pieces. Customarily this is done with a candle in the darkened room, using a feather or a spoon to brush the chometz. Children have a lot of fun doing this. This is a commandment, so a prayer is said before doing so. A complete silence is maintained until the last piece is found. Then another prayer is said to eliminate all chometz that one is unaware of.
The Seders
The Family gathers for the Seder a night before the Passover that is the first night and also on the second night of the Pesah. The "Haggadah" is the books used for prayer during Passover. The Jews recite prayers over the wine and drink the first cup. This prayer marks the beginning of the Seder. A drop of wine may be spilled during the reading of the ten plagues to symbolize the suffering and sadness related with the freedom of the Israelites. The Jews wash hands, but do not recite the prayer for hand washing as they usually do. They dip karpas, or vegetables, in salt water and eat them. The salt water symbolizes the tears of the Israelites. Bitter herbs such as horseradish symbolize the bitterness of slavery, and vegetables are dipped in salt water to recall the tears of the slaves. A bone of lamb represents the sacrifices that were once performed at the historical Jewish Temple, while a boiled egg is eaten to symbolize Jewish faith under the heat of Egyptian oppression.
The Matzah
The middle of the matzah is broken into pieces and placed on the Seder table. Half of that matzah will become the Afikoman, the payment that will occur after the meal. The story of Passover is recited, and the youngest child is asked to chant the Four Questions. The retelling of the stories is followed with the second glass of wine. The matzah is blessed and it is tasted without any other flavors. The maror is blessed and bitter herbs, are eaten with a bite of matzah. Charoset is added which is a mixture of apples, nuts, and wine--to create a Hillel sandwich. The holiday meal is served, including any desert that has been prepared. The Afikoman is removed from the children present by giving them the gift and is shared with each guest present. After the Afikoman has been eaten, no other food should be consumed. The blessings are recited and everyone drinks the fourth cup of wine and concludes the Seder with traditional Passover songs.
