There are so many important cultural and religious holidays during the springtime, including Easter, Passover, Nowruz, Holi, and St. Patrick’s Day. Passover, celebrated from April 1 to April 9 this year, is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the Jewish religion and culture.
Whether you or your friends and family already have a connection to Passover, or you simply want to become more aware of the diversity of spring holidays, you can use parts of this suggested script to explain the observance to your kids.
What is Passover?
“Passover, also called Pesach in Hebrew, is a Jewish spring festival that lasts seven or eight days, depending on where you live or what type of Judaism your family follows. During that time, many Jews don’t eat leavened bread to appreciate what their ancestors went through during hard times.”
“Passover is originally based on the story of Exodus, which is about Hebrew ancestors (or Israelites) leaving Egypt to become free from unfair treatment. In this biblical story, Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt, and God parted the sea so that they could get across safely. They had to leave so quickly that their bread did not have time to rise.”
“It is called Passover because in the biblical story, God was said to ‘pass over’ the Israelites to help save them during the Ten Plagues — which were forces of destruction including a bad hailstorm, swarms of lice and flies, and water turning into blood.”
What do families do during Passover?
“Passover starts with a special dinner called a Seder. Often at the beginning of Seder, a piece of matzo (flat bread that has not risen) is hidden. Kids get to hunt for the matzo, and whoever finds it gets a prize.”
“The Seder dinner features a plate of foods that help tell the story of Passover, and they usually include:
- Chazeret: A bitter vegetable like Romaine lettuce to represent the bitterness of the past
- Maror: A bitter herb like horseradish that has a similar meaning
- Karpas: A piece of celery or parsley to represent the new life of spring
- Zeroa: A lamb bone to symbolize the lamb that was sacrificed before the Hebrew people fled in the biblical story
- Charoset: A paste made of fruit and nuts that represents the mortar the Hebrew people used to build with
- Beitzah: A hard-boiled egg to remember the circle of life”
“For the rest of the seven or eight days of Passover, Jewish families typically don’t eat bread and sometimes other grains, and eat matzo instead. Matzo can be eaten like a cracker or used to make matzo ball soup or other fun creations like matzo pizza or matzo lasagna. Some people also eat only kosher foods (religiously approved foods) during that time.”
Is Passover similar to any other holidays?
“Although there are many different religions and cultures in the United States and around the world, their traditions and holidays actually have a lot in common.”
“Like many other religious and cultural holidays, Passover is a time to reflect on difficult times of the past and to celebrate hope and renewal. Some of the Passover traditions, like eating lamb and eggs, and hunting for the matzo, can bring to mind Easter traditions.”
“The food-based rules of Passover are somewhat similar to fasting during Ramadan or avoiding meats or treats during Lent. Giving up certain foods or habits for a period of time can build gratitude for what you have and appreciation for what came before you.”
“Just like with other religions and cultures, some Jews are more religious than others, and people may connect with the original story and reason for the holiday in different ways, or not at all. But either way, Passover can be a meaningful tradition to celebrate together with family and friends.”
