Passover: do you know the history of Passover?

[Mise à jour du 3 avril à 12h47]. This year, Passover takes place from April 5 to 13, 2023. The first two evenings of celebration are dedicated to the “Passover Seder”a meal during which practitioners read the Passover hagadah, which tells the story of the liberation of the Jewish people, at the time of Pharaoh. There Exit from Egypt is therefore at the center of this Jewish holiday which is one of the most important in the Hebrew calendar. But why is bread replaced by matzah? Bitter herbs, meals made fromlamb… Here are all the Passover 2023 traditions.

What are the dates of Passover in France?

In 2023the Passover holiday begins on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at sunset, and ends on Thursday April 13 in the evening. The first two evenings are dedicated to the Passover Seder. It is a meal during which one reads the Passover hagadah (the story of the Exodus of the Jewish people), before enjoying a family meal.

What is the Passover story?

The Passover celebration refers to the liberation of the Jewish people, reduced to slavery in Egypt by Pharaoh for 400 years.. Men and women were forced into hard and heavy work, putting their lives in danger, the first-born boys were also thrown into the Nile and drowned… Seeing the distress and suffering of his people, God ordered Pharaoh to to let go several times, but the latter refused. “Let my people go” warned him, through Moses, before intervening by sending the 10 Plagues of Egypt.

What are the 10 plagues of Egypt?

In total, these are 10 plagues that were sent in an attempt to end the slavery of the Jewish people:

1. The first plague of Egypt was turn the water of the Nile into blood,
2. THE frogs,
3. the vermin,
4. wild beasts,
5. Plague,
6. ulcers,
7. hail,
8. Grasshoppers,
9. darkness,
10. the extermination of the Egyptian firstborn.

What does Passover mean?

Passover means “to pass over” in Hebrew. Moreover, in English, the Passover holiday is said Passover which also translates to pass over. Having killed all the Egyptian firstborn, the Angel of Death passed over the Jewish houses and spared their inhabitants. In order to escape the massacre, the Jews had taken care to make their house identifiable by spreading lamb’s blood on the jambs and the lintel of the doors. This is one of the reasons why it is customary to prepare a lamb dish during this party.

What Foods Are Forbidden on Passover?

There jewish passover is accompanied by a number of rituals. During this period, practitioners must refrain from consuming cereals, and more specifically any leaven-based product (hamets). Observing this practice requires prior big house cleaning intended to ban any food containing leaven, even in minute quantities. In short, you should not have any breadcrumbs in the house, pasta, or foods that can rise. Cleansing kitchen utensils and using foil to kosher the cooker are also recommended before the party begins. Note that according to customs, some practitioners eat rice during the Passover holiday.

Why don’t we eat bread on Passover, but matzah?

When they left Egypt, the Hebrews did not have time to take their personal belongings. While they used to bake their own bread, the dough did not have time to rise. unleavened breadwhich is usually eaten during Passover, therefore refers to the hasty exodus from Egypt.

What are the Passover traditions?

During the first and last two days of Passover, the faithful will refrain from working and using the electric lights. Songs and reading of prayers will punctuate Jewish Easter. Finally, theare the first two evenings, during the Passover Seder, the story of the Jewish Passover is read, called the Passover Hagada, to remember the exodus from Egypt, and regained freedom. In particular, she states that “in each generation, each must consider himself as if he himself had come out of Egypt”. Around a very family meal, we explain this part of the story to the children, we involve the youngest and we answer their questions.

Passover Seder: what is the plate made of, what meanings?

Passover is inaugurated by the Seder, ritual commemorating the accession of the Jews to freedom. THE seder plate consists of various elements, each referring to a part of the Passover story:

• three matzos (unleavened bread): in reference to the exodus from Egypt, the bread having not had time to rise. The three matzos also refer to the entire Jewish people.
• The Paschal Lamb (zeroa) which had been used to spare Jewish families
• bitter herbsto remember the difficult and bitter life of the Jewish people in slavery.
• Du Harosset : it is a mixture based on nut, pears and apples, dates, bound with wine. It refers to the mortar used to make bricks for building the city for the Egyptians.
• A hard egg, which represents a feast offering in the Temple
• A vegetable soaked in salt water: in reference to the tears shed by the Jewish people during forced labor.

Passover meals and cakes: which recipes and meals?

It is customary to prepare a lamb-based meal for the Passover holiday. As far as cakes are concerned, wheat flour should be replaced by corn flour, permitted during Passover. We can therefore prepare almond and chocolate cakes, simply by replacing the ingredients that are not consumed during this period. But the star recipe for Passover cakes is undoubtedly the sferies, made from pounded matzah and syrup. These little donuts always delight little gourmands. See the recipe for Sferies.

What is the Passover holiday like?

The first two evenings of Passover are devoted to the “Seder”: one reads there before the meal the prayers of the Passover hagadah (which tells the whole Passover story). We eat lamb dishes, as well as foods with a reference to the history of the Jewish people who were in slavery in Egypt, at the time of Pharaoh (bitter herbs, matzah, etc.). The last two days of Passover are also feast days, and between these dates are the days called “Chol Hamoed” during which it is possible to work. Practitioners also go to the synagogue on feast days.