What Is Passover?
The story is told in the special Jewish book, the Torah.
Passover is an important festival celebrated by Jewish people.
It is celebrated in spring.
Passover celebrates when the Jewish people were freed from slavery in Egypt over 3000 years ago.
How Is Passover Celebrated?
Passover is celebrated for seven or eight days.
An important part of Passover celebrations is something called matzah, which is a type of unleavened bread.
It reminds Jewish people of the escape from Egypt, when they didn’t have time to make normal bread that would rise in the oven.
The Seder
The evening before Passover begins, there is a special time called Seder, this means ‘order’.
The Seder happens during a meal with family and friends.
The Seder Plate
An important part of the Seder is the Seder plate or the Ka’arah as it is known in the special Jewish language, Hebrew.
They all represent something from the story of Passover.
It has sections that hold special Seder food.
Ze’ro’a
Zeroah is a roasted lamb bone. It is a symbol of the offerings the Jewish people made to God as part of their worship.
Charoset
Charoset is a paste of chopped apples, walnuts and wine. It reminds people of the mortar (paste) that the Jewish slaves had to use when building things in Egypt.
Maror
Maror is a very bitter herb made from horseradish. It is a symbol of the suffering of the Jewish people in Egypt.
Chazeret
Chazeret is another bitter herb, usually romaine lettuce. It also reminds people about the suffering of the slaves in Egypt.
Karpas
Karpas is a small slice of a vegetable which is dipped in salt water. This reminds people of the tears the slaves in Egypt would have shed.
Beitzah
Beitzah is a hard boiled egg. The egg represents the offerings Jewish people made to God as part of their worship.
What Can You Remember?
Which parts of the Seder plate can you remember?
Hard boiled egg
Beitzah
Vegetables dipped in salt water
Karpas
Bitter herbs
Chazeret and
Maror
Chopped apples, walnuts and wine Charoset
Lamb bones
Z’ro’a