Passover is the celebration of the Jews being freed from Egypt, known as the Exodus. It’s celebrated each spring, though the timing varies, and is one of the most important Jewish holidays. Find out when Passover begins and ends in 2022, as well as its meaning and how it’s celebrated and what to eat for it.
When is Passover 2022?
Passover 2022 begins in the evening of Friday, April 15 and ends in the evening of Saturday, April 23.
How Many Days is Passover?
Passover is eight days long, though some Jewish reform groups celebrate it for seven days.
How is Passover Celebrated?
Passover is typically celebrated with a feast called a seder on the first evening of the holiday, though some may extend seders to the second evening of Passover as well. While everyone’s individual celebrations vary, the typical seder has several prayers, symbols and blessings specific for Passover and includes a special seder plate. The seder plate typically holds matzoh (unleavened bread), maror (bitter herbs), chazeret (bitter lettuce, often romaine), charoset (a pebbly-textured nut and fruit paste), karpas (a vegetable, often parsley, dipped in salt water, vinegar or charoset), zeroa (a roasted goat or lamb bone) and beitzah (a roasted egg).
What’s the Significance of Wine During Passover?
The Torah instructs that at least four glasses of wine be consumed during the Passover seder, each symbolizing a different theme: One is salvation from harsh labor (Jewish slaves built pyramids), geographically leaving Egypt, Moses’ parting of the seas and becoming their own nation at Sinai. Some seder celebrations include a fifth cup for the prophet Elijah, who oversees Passover, but no celebrants drink from the fifth cup
Where Does Eating Matzo Come From?
For those celebrating the Passover holiday, it means eight days of not eating leavened foods (read: no bread, bagels, and a host of other grain-based items.). Matzo—a flat cracker—takes the place of bread, and after a few days it’s quite the challenge to find creative ways to still enjoy it.
The Focal Points of the Seder Are
- Eating matzah.
- Eating bitter herbs—to commemorate the bitter slavery endured by the Israelites.
- Drinking four cups of wine or grape juice—a royal drink to celebrate our newfound freedom.
- The recitation of the Haggadah, a liturgy that describes in detail the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The Haggadah is the fulfillment of the biblical obligation to recount to our children the story of the Exodus on the night of Passover. It begins with a child asking the traditional “Four Questions”.
