Passover 2024: Explore its Wonderful History, Fun Facts and FAQs

Passover 2024 begins on November 30, marking the holiest day in Jewish history, commemorating the liberation of Jews from Egypt 3,000 years ago. The holiday, traditionally on April 22, is significant in Jewish history.

Source: Usatoday

Passover 2024: The First Day of Passover is November 30 this year, on the 15th day of Nisan. According to the Gregorian calendar, Passover (‘Pesach’ in Hebrew) begins in late March or early April. The start of the seven- or eight-day Passover celebration makes this one of the holiest days in Jewish history. This celebration celebrates the liberation of Jews from Egypt 3,000 years ago. Passover and Easter coincide this year, making Holy Week more significant.

Jews celebrate the Exodus from Egypt, which God performed. The eight-day Passover holiday begins with an evening Seder, a special dinner with wine and food. The meal references the “Haggadah,” which recounts the event. They discuss family, Jewish history, social justice, and liberty. The date of Passover changes each year since it follows the Hebrew calendar. It traditionally begins after sunset on the 14th day of Nisan, April 22, 2025.

Passover: History

The most-anticipated Jewish holiday of the year is Passover. It commemorates the exodus and deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian servitude more than 3,300 years ago. According to the Torah, Jews must observe Passover for seven days, starting on the 15th of the Hebrew month Nisan, which usually occurs from late March to early April.

The Jews observe a Passover Seder (ritual dinner) with close family and acquaintances on the first evening of Passover. Jews residing outside of Israel observe an additional seder on the second evening of Passover. Alongside reading the “Haggadah,” which recounts the liberation of the Jews from servitude, they consume a cup of wine at designated junctures throughout the narrative during the feast. The traditional Passover Seder offers a designated plate that incorporates symbolic foods corresponding to 15 distinct junctures in the narrative of the “Haggadah.”

The Passover Seder plate features matzos, maror, chazeret, and charoset. Matzos symbolize the Israelites’ hasty departure from Egypt, maror represents the mistreatment and agony the Jews endured during slavery, chazeret is bitter lettuce, frequently romaine, and charoset is a brown-textured nut and fruit paste. Beitzah (a hard-boiled egg), karpas (a vegetable dipped in salt water or vinegar, such as celery or parsley), zeroa, or z’ora (a roasted bone from a goat, poultry, or lamb), are additional items. The final two objects symbolize the sacrifice that was presented in the Temple of Jerusalem.

In remembrance of their liberation, attendees partake in daytime rest and chant and pray after the seder.

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Passover: FAQs

Which foods do people forbid during Passover?

Jews and those who identify as Jews are forbidden from consuming, carrying, or exposing ‘chametz’ throughout the observance of Passover. Beverages made from fermentable cereals like barley, rye, spelled, oats, and wheat are called ‘chametz’ or ‘chometz’ During Passover, we ban wine, pizza, bread, pasta, cake, beer, cookies, pasta, and specific meals. Before cooking or eating kosher meals on the holiday, you must thoroughly clean chametz-coated or chametz-eating silverware and crockery.

What does the Bible mean by Passover?

Passover, alternatively referred to as ‘Pesach,’ is a Jewish festival that honors the narrative in the book of Exodus, wherein God delivers the Israelites from enslavement in Egypt. The Old Testament book of Exodus instructs the Israelites on how to properly observe and celebrate Passover.

What is Passover and what is its significance?

Passover commemorates the biblical event of the Exodus, in which God delivered the Israelites from an Egyptian slave system.

Five Noteworthy Facts about Passover

Pascha is also known as Chag HaMatzot (Festival of Unleavened Bread), Chag Ha Herut (Festival of Freedom), and Chag Ha-Aviv (Festival of Spring).
According to Guinness World Records, Noah’s Ark Original Deli in New York City made the largest matzah ball in August 2009. Wide at 29.2 inches, heavy at 267 pounds.
As of April 2020, Maxwell House’s Passover “Haggadah” was the most widely distributed in the US, with over 60 million copies in circulation.
The world’s largest Passover Seder takes place in Kathmandu, Nepal, with over 1,000 people each year.
Jews often reserve a seat at the table and ceremoniously pour a fifth, unopened cup of wine (and leave it unopened) in anticipation of Elijah’s return to declare the Messiah’s coming.