The Passover story is a biblical classic. It’s got everything from murder to slavery to infanticide to plagues of epic proportion. The short version is that the Jewish people were freed from being slaves in Egypt. If you want more juicy details check out a retelling of the story here.
Every year on the first night of Passover Jewish families gather for a “Seder”, a combination meal and religious event commemorating the story of Passover. Although the basics of a Seder are similar, Jews around the world all celebrate with their own unique cultural flavor.
1. Scallion Whipping
Jewish families from Middle Eastern countries like Afghanistan and Iran use large scallions to lightly whip each other to represent the pain of slavery in Egypt.
2. Breaking Dishes
Some Jewish families in Ethiopia feel so connected with the story of Exodus, the mother of the family will destroy all the dishes used during the Seder in order to make a clean break from the past every year.
3. Breaking Matzot into Letters
Syrian and North African Jewish families break the center piece of Matzot (unleavened bread eaten during Passover) into special Hebrew letters. These letters have ancient Kabbalistic meanings that relate to the story of Passover.
4. Opening the Door for Elijah
Jewish families from Europe have the tradition of leaving one seat empty at their dinner table and walking to the front door of their house and ceremonially opening it for the Prophet Elijah before Passover begins. This reminds the families to always invite strangers into their home and include people less fortunate in religious holidays.
5. Baking Real Bricks into Charoset
Charoset is a sweet dish made of chopped up fruit and nuts that is supposed to represent the mortar that the Jewish slaves were forced to use to build Egyptian buildings. A small, ancient Jewish community in Gibraltar uses the dust of real red bricks and bakes it into the charoset they eat on Passover.
Every year on the first night of Passover Jewish families gather for a “Seder”, a combination meal and religious event commemorating the story of Passover. Although the basics of a Seder are similar, Jews around the world all celebrate with their own unique cultural flavor.
1. Scallion Whipping
Jewish families from Middle Eastern countries like Afghanistan and Iran use large scallions to lightly whip each other to represent the pain of slavery in Egypt.
2. Breaking Dishes
Some Jewish families in Ethiopia feel so connected with the story of Exodus, the mother of the family will destroy all the dishes used during the Seder in order to make a clean break from the past every year.
3. Breaking Matzot into Letters
Syrian and North African Jewish families break the center piece of Matzot (unleavened bread eaten during Passover) into special Hebrew letters. These letters have ancient Kabbalistic meanings that relate to the story of Passover.
4. Opening the Door for Elijah
Jewish families from Europe have the tradition of leaving one seat empty at their dinner table and walking to the front door of their house and ceremonially opening it for the Prophet Elijah before Passover begins. This reminds the families to always invite strangers into their home and include people less fortunate in religious holidays.
5. Baking Real Bricks into Charoset
Charoset is a sweet dish made of chopped up fruit and nuts that is supposed to represent the mortar that the Jewish slaves were forced to use to build Egyptian buildings. A small, ancient Jewish community in Gibraltar uses the dust of real red bricks and bakes it into the charoset they eat on Passover.
Passover Traditions
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