The Passover festival, what it means to the Jewish people and how they celebrate it

The Jewish festival of Passover celebrates the Exodus story from the Bible, where God allowed his people, the Israelites, to escape from slavery in Egypt. This important festival usually lasts for seven or eight days and remembers the time when God Passed Over all the Jewish Houses and left his people safe whilst inflicting the tenth and final plague on the unfortunate Egyptians. This joyous, family orientated, traditional, faith filled festival also called Pesach is one of the main celebrations of the Jewish year. Passover is celebrated on the fifteenth day of Nisan, which is the first month of spring.  An integral part of the Passover celebrations is for families to sit and eat traditional foods together served from Seder Plates,

Foods that aren’t allowed during Passover

There are certain foods, known as chametz, that Jewish families are not allowed to eat during the Passover celebrations, and these are anything made from grain, so nothing that contains oats, barley, spelt, rye or wheat.  Families have to make sure their homes are free from any food item that might be contaminated with grain, so spend time thoroughly cleaning out their cupboards.  No bread, biscuits or cakes containing any of these specific ingredients are allowed!

When Passover falls this year

This year the Jewish Passover festival will last for the traditional eight days and takes place from sunset on the fifth April until Nightfall on the thirteenth April 2023.

Summary

The Jewish festival of Passover celebrates the Exodus story, marking the time God spared the Israelites while delivering the final plague on Egypt, and lasts seven or eight days. Families avoid chametz during the festival, meaning anything made from grain, and spend time cleaning their homes beforehand. This year the festival runs the traditional eight days, from sunset on the fifth of April until nightfall on the thirteenth.

Questions this article raises

• Why is chametz specifically avoided during Passover?
• What foods are traditionally eaten at a Seder meal?
• How do dates for Passover change from year to year?