Celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover this spring

Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is a widely celebrated holiday in the Jewish religion. This year Passover starts on the evening of Saturday 12 April and ends on Sunday 20 April.

What is Passover?

Passover celebrates the story of the Exodus when the Jewish people, led by Moses, escaped slavery in Egypt. Passover is observed through a series of rituals, each representing a different aspect of this historical journey.

Lasting for seven or eight days in total, Passover is a time for reflection, family gatherings and honouring Jewish heritage. Prayers, songs and readings from the Haggadah guide the celebration, and reinforce themes of freedom, faith and resilience.

The Haggadah, meaning “telling” in Hebrew, is a written guide for the Passover Seder, which marks the Israelites’ liberation from Egypt.

What is the history of Passover?

Passover has a history that can be dated back to around 1200 BC.

According to history, Moses saw that the Israelites were being persecuted while they were in Egypt and asked the Pharaoh to set the Jewish people free, but the Pharaoh refused. Moses warned the Pharaoh that God would send the following 10 terrible plagues:

Blood
Waters were turned to blood – the fish in the river died and the Egyptians couldn’t drink the water.
Frogs
Frogs swarmed and covered every inch of land, even entering houses.
Lice
Dust was turned into lice that crawled over the Egyptians.
Flies
Swarms of flies invaded Egypt.
Livestock
Animals owned by Egyptians were infected with diseases and died.
Boils
The Pharaoh, Egyptians and their animals developed painful boils that couldn’t be healed.
Hail
Egypt was struck by an extremely violent hailstorm that caused fatal damages to crop and fields.
Locusts
Swarms of large locusts settled in Egypt and devoured anything left growing after the hail.
Darkness
Darkness took over Egypt for three days
Death of first-borns
All first-born Egyptian sons, including the Pharaoh’s and cattle died. Israelites marked lamb’s blood above their door and were ‘passed over’. This is where the name Passover comes from.

According to the legend, after enduring the plagues the Pharaoh finally let the Israelites leave Egypt. In their haste their bread did not have time to rise, leading to the tradition of eating unleavened bread (matzah) during the holiday.

How is Passover celebrated?

There are many traditions that come with celebrating Passover. It’s a time of family gatherings, storytelling, and gratitude for freedom.

With an emphasis on food and family, the highlight of Passover is the Seder meal. Held on the first two nights (one night in Israel) of Passover, families gather to tell the Exodus story using the Haggadah. Jewish people eat symbolic foods like matzah (unleavened bread), maror (bitter herbs), and the sweet paste charoset. Foods like bread and pasta (chametz) are forbidden and instead matzah is eaten to symbolise the Israelites’ hasty departure from Egypt.

During Seder, there are often four cups of wine (or grape juice) present, to represent the four promises of redemption mentioned in the Torah. These four cups of wine each symbolise one of God’s promises of redemption: ‘I will bring you out’, ‘I will rescue you’, ‘I will redeem you’, and ‘I will make you my people’ (Exodus 6:6-7).

The Torah, also known as the Pentateuch, is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

During the Seder meal children also play a game to search for the Afikoman (a hidden piece of matzah).

Prayer is a very important part of Passover. Special prayers are recited and services are held in synagogues – the Jewish place of worship. These include the reading of the Hallel (a Jewish prayer, a verbatim recitation from Psalms 113–118).

The holiday concludes with the Yom Tov (festival) prayers and the concluding blessing, marking the end of the eight days (or seven days in Israel) of Passover.

How to wish someone well during Passover

If you’d like to wish someone a happy Passover, here are a few phrases you can use:

Chag Pesach Sameach (חַג פֶּסַח שָׂמֵחַ), which means Happy Passover Holiday!
Chag Sameach (חַג שָׂמֵחַ), which means Happy Holiday!

We wish all Jewish students, staff, alumni and friends a very happy Passover!