PASSOVER 2022. This religious holiday, which commemorates the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, begins this Friday, April 15. History, traditions, sequence of the Seder, Matzah and meaning… What you need to know about the Passover holiday.
When is the Passover holiday?
This year, Passover begins Friday, April 15 in the evening, and ends eight days later, the Saturday evening April 23 (at the end of Shabbat).
The first two nights of Passover are devoted to “Seder“: we read there before the meal the prayers of the Passover hagadah (which tells the whole Passover story). We eat dishes based on lamb, 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. Note that for this religious holiday, the dates differ in Israel since the festival lasts only 7 days. Finally, before the party starts, a great Passover cleaning is carried out to chase away any breadcrumbs in the house.
What is the Passover story?
The Passover holiday refers to the liberation of the Jewish people, enslaved in Egypt by Pharaoh. Men and women were forced into hard labor, putting their lives at risk, the first-born boys were also thrown into the sea and drowned… Seeing the distress and suffering of his people, God ordered Pharaoh to let them go several times, but he refused. “Let my people go” he 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. The first plague was turn the water of the Nile into bloodthe second, to send frogs, then vermin, wild beasts, plague, ulcers, hail, locusts, darkness, and finally the extermination of the first-born Egyptians. According to the Bible, each time, the Jewish people were spared from these divine plagues. But it is this last measure, the most terrible, which ends up making Pharaoh abdicate since the latter lost his only son. Once the Jewish people were freed, Pharaoh finally sent his troops in pursuit of the Hebrews. A revenge that led him to a new fate. God allowed Moses to split the sea in two, to cross it on dry land to Mount Sinai, where he will then give them the Torah (tables of the law) and brought into the Land of Israel. Meanwhile, the Egyptians were drowned, the sea having closed in on them.
What does Passover mean?
Having killed all the Egyptian firstborn, the Angel of Death passed over the Jewish houses (Passover means “to pass over” in Hebrew.) 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-based dish during this festival. Also, in the Jewish religion, a “mezuzah” is placed on the right of the front door, to protect one’s home.
The 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. 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.
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.
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 Sferies recipe.
Passover Seder: what does it consist 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.
- of Harosset : it is a mixture of nuts, pears and apples, dates, linked 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.