OVERVIEW OF PASSOVER
Passover, also known as Pesach or Pesah, is a Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrim Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus and freedom from slavery of the Children of Israel from ancient Egypt that followed the Ten plagues. It is in the beginning of the 49 days of Counting of the Omer. Today it is celebrated in April.
HISTORY OF PASSOVER
The term Passover comes from the Hebrew Bible and was first mentioned in the Book of Exodus. As God pronounced to the people of Israel enslaved in Egypt that he would free them, he said he would "Smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt." However, he instructed the Israelites to put a sign of lamb's blood on their door posts: "and when I see the blood, I will pass over you." (Exodus 12:13, King James Version) The original verb in the Hebrew Torah is posach. The noun form, pesach, also appears in that same chapter, in reference to that lamb, which was sacrificed earlier that day and then eaten on that night: "and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover." (Exodus 12:11)
The three main applicable groups of commandments associated with the holiday are: eating matzoh, or unleavened bread; the prohibition of eating any foods containing leavening during the holiday and the retelling of the Jews' miraculous exodus from ancient Egypt (Mitzrayim). In ancient times (until today among the Samaritans) there was a fourth: the offering of a lamb in the evening on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan (also known as Aviv) and the eating that night of the Passover sacrifice. The commandment of retelling the Exodus is fulfilled through a communal ritual called the seder, celebrated on the first two evenings of the holiday (in Israel, only on the first evening). Other customs associated with Passover include eating bitter herbs and other foods specified for the seder meal. While many reasons are given for eating matzoh, the book of Exodus explains that it recalls the bread the Israelites ate at the time of the Exodus: in their rush to leave Egypt, they did not have time for the bread to rise.
PASSOVER TRIVIA
Passover is a family holiday and a happy one. It is traditional for a Jewish family to gather on the first two nights for a special dinner called a seder. At the seder three matzohs are used. During the seder, the middle matzoh is broken in half. The smaller piece is returned to the set of matzohs while the larger piece is designated as the afikomen, or the "dessert" matzoh. Two distinct customs have arisen among some Jews regarding the afikomen, both of which involve the afikomen being hidden as a means of keeping the children interested in the proceedings. In one custom, a child "steals" it and the parent has to find it. If the parent can't find it, the child is given a reward for the return of the afikomen. In the other custom, an adult hides the afikomen and the children look for it at the end of the meal. If the children find it, they receive a reward or ransom, as the seder cannot end until the afikomen is found.
Source: The English Wikipedia
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