Passover 2025 Unveiled: Discover Why We Eat Matzah and Its Time-Honored Traditions!

The Passover festival commemorates the Exodus from Egypt during the time of Pharaoh. Each year, this Jewish holiday lasts a week, during which bread or any other leavened food is replaced by unleavened bread called Matzah.

What are the dates for Passover this year?

This year, Passover begins on Saturday evening at nightfall, April 12, 2025. The first two evenings of the festival (Saturday night and Sunday night) are dedicated to the Seder, a meal during which participants read the Passover story called “Hagadah of Passover,” and then enjoy a family meal. The festival concludes on Sunday, April 20 at nightfall.

What is the history of Passover?

Passover marks the liberation of the Jewish people, who were enslaved in Egypt by Pharaoh for 400 years. Men and women were subjected to harsh labor that endangered their lives, and male firstborns were also thrown into the Nile and drowned. Observing the agony and suffering of His people, God commanded Pharaoh to release them multiple times, but he refused. “Let my people go,” He warned through Moses before sending the 10 plagues of Egypt.

What are the 10 Plagues of Egypt?

According to the Bible, each divine calamity spared the Jewish people. However, it was the last and most dreadful one that finally convinced Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go after losing his own son. Following the Jews’ liberation, Pharaoh sent his troops to pursue them, leading to another divine retribution. God enabled Moses to part the sea, allowing the Hebrews to cross on dry land to Mount Sinai, where Moses delivered the Torah and led them to the Land of Israel. Meanwhile, the Egyptians were drowned as the sea closed back. In total, these 10 plagues were sent to end the enslavement of the Jewish people:

1. The first plague turned the Nile water to blood,
2. frogs,
3. lice,
4. wild animals,
5. pestilence,
6. boils,
7. hail,
8. locusts,
9. darkness,
10. the death of the firstborn Egyptians.

What does Passover mean?

Passover, or “Pesach” in Hebrew, means “to pass over.” This refers to when the Angel of Death struck down the Egyptian firstborns during the 10th plague but passed over the Jewish homes. To avert this tragedy, the Jews marked their homes by applying lamb’s blood to the doorposts. Hence, the tradition of preparing a lamb dish during Passover persists.

What foods are forbidden during Passover?

The Jewish Passover includes numerous rituals. During this period, practitioners must refrain from consuming grains, specifically any products made with leaven (Chametz). This practice requires a thorough cleaning of the home to remove any trace of leavened products, even in minute amounts. Essentially, one should not possess any breadcrumbs, pasta, or leavening foods in the home. The purification of kitchen utensils and using aluminum to kasher stoves are also recommended before the holiday begins. It’s worth noting that some practitioners may consume rice during Passover.

Why do we eat Matzah during Passover?

During their hasty departure from Egypt, the Hebrews did not have time to gather personal belongings. Accustomed to making their own bread, the dough did not have time to rise. The unleavened bread, customarily eaten during Passover, therefore symbolizes the hurried exodus from Egypt.

What are the traditions of Passover?

During the first two and last days of Passover, the faithful abstain from work and using electric lights. Songs and prayer readings punctuate the Jewish Passover. The first two evenings feature the Passover Seder, during which the story of Jewish Passover, called the Hagadah of Passover, is read to remember the Exodus from Egypt and the freedom regained. It specifically states that “in every generation, each person should regard themselves as if they had come out of Egypt themselves.” This story is explained to children during a very family-oriented meal, involving the youngest members and answering their questions.

Passover Meals and Desserts: What recipes and meals?

It is customary to prepare a meal featuring lamb for Passover. Regarding desserts, wheat flour should be replaced with corn flour, which is permitted during Passover. Almond cakes and chocolate cakes can be made by simply substituting ingredients not eaten during this period. However, the signature Passover dessert recipe is undoubtedly sferies, made from crushed matzah and syrup. These small doughnuts always delight the little ones. See the recipe for Sferies.

Passover Seder: What do the foods on the plate signify?

Passover begins with the Seder, a ritual commemorating the Jews’ attainment of freedom. The Seder plate is comprised of various elements, each referring to a part of the Passover story:

• Three matzot (unleavened breads): referring to the hasty Exodus from Egypt where the bread did not have time to rise. The three matzot also symbolize the entire Jewish people.
• The Paschal lamb (zeroa) that was used to spare the Jewish families.
• Bitter herbs, to recall the harsh and bitter life of the Jewish people in slavery.
• Haroset: a mixture made of nuts, pears, and apples, dates, bound with wine, representing the mortar used to make bricks for building cities for the Egyptians.
• A hard-boiled egg, representing a festival offering in the Temple.
• A vegetable dipped in salt water: symbolizing the tears shed by the Jewish people during forced labor.