April 13 – Passover Begins

Passover Begins Today!

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HOW TO CELEBRATE PASSOVER STEP-BY-STEP

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Bon Appetit’s 73 Passover Recipes.
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11/14/2024 11:24 pm GMT

As the sun begins to set on Passover eve, Jewish families around the world come together to celebrate the holiday’s beginning. Passover is a time to remember the exodus from Egypt and the liberation from slavery. The mood of the holiday is one of gratitude and reflection, as families retell the story of the Israelites’ journey to freedom.

The beginning of Passover marks not only a historic event, but a time to honor tradition and family. The holiday typically begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which usually falls in March or April. It’s a time for reflection, remembrance, and renewal, and a reminder of the strength and resilience of the Jewish people.

HISTORY OF PASSOVER

Passover is a significant and richly symbolic holiday in Judaism that commemorates the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. With its roots dating back to roughly 1300 BCE. Passover is one of the oldest and most significant Jewish holidays. It commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and the beginning of their journey towards the promised land.

100 WAYS TO CELEBRATE PASSOVER

Host a Seder Meal: Follow the traditional Passover Seder with symbolic foods and readings from the Haggadah.
Prepare Charoset: Make a sweet mixture of fruits and nuts to symbolize the mortar used by Hebrew slaves in Egypt.
Search for the Afikoman: Hide a piece of matzah for the children to find after the Seder.
Create a Matzah Cover: Decorate a cloth to cover the matzah during the Seder, using fabric markers or embroidery.
Tell the Story of Exodus: Read or act out the story of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt with family members.
Host a Virtual Seder: Include distant friends or family in your Passover celebration using video chat.
Sing Passover Songs: Learn traditional songs like “Dayenu” and sing them during the Seder.
Bake Matzah: Make homemade matzah as a fun family activity.
Make a Ten Plagues Craft: Create visual representations of the ten plagues using craft materials.
Hold a Matzah Tasting: Taste different kinds of matzah and rank them based on flavor and texture.
Create a Seder Plate: Paint or decorate a special plate to hold the symbolic foods of the Seder.
Watch a Passover Movie: Watch a film that explores themes of Passover, like “The Prince of Egypt.”
Host a Matzah Sandwich Competition: Challenge friends or family to create the most creative matzah sandwich.
Decorate the Table with Themed Centerpieces: Use flowers, candles, and symbolic items to enhance your Passover Seder table.
Write Passover-Themed Poems: Compose poetry inspired by the story of the Exodus or themes of freedom and hope.
Make Miriam’s Cup: Decorate a special cup to honor Miriam’s role in the Exodus story, and fill it with water during the Seder.
Organize a Passover Story Scavenger Hunt: Hide objects around the house related to the Exodus story and have kids find them.
Bake Flourless Desserts: Experiment with recipes for flourless cakes or cookies, following Passover dietary restrictions.
Host a Seder Cooking Class: Teach friends or family how to make traditional Passover dishes like matzah ball soup or brisket.
Design Personalized Haggadahs: Create custom booklets with prayers, stories, and reflections for the Seder.
Play Passover Trivia: Write trivia questions about the history and traditions of Passover and challenge friends and family.
Make Matzah Art: Use broken pieces of matzah and other craft materials to create collages or mosaics.
Read Books about Passover: Choose age-appropriate books to help children learn more about the holiday.
Decorate Kiddush Cups: Paint or decorate special wine cups for use during Passover.
Plan a Freedom-Themed Discussion: Lead a discussion on what freedom means today, connecting it to the themes of Passover.
Passover Word Search: Create a word search with Passover-related terms like matzah, seder, and Moses.
Matzo Ball Toss: Toss foam matzo balls into a basket from a distance and see who can score the most points.
Build Your Own Seder Plate: Provide craft materials for players to create their own Seder plate with symbolic foods.
Passover Board Game: Design a board game that takes players through the story of the Exodus, with trivia and challenges along the way.
Plague Tag: Play a game of tag where the tagger represents one of the ten plagues and others must avoid them.
Haggadah Relay: Divide the Haggadah into sections and have teams race to read or act out their part of the Passover story.
Passover Simon Says: Play Simon Says using Passover-themed commands like “Eat the matzah!” or “Find the afikoman!”
Passover Puzzle: Create a puzzle featuring the Red Sea or other Passover images and have teams race to complete it.
Passover Mad Libs: Make a Mad Libs-style game where players fill in the blanks to create funny versions of the Passover story.
Exodus Escape Room: Set up an escape room game where participants solve Passover-themed puzzles to “escape Egypt.”
Ten Plagues Card Game: Create a card game where players match symbols to each of the ten plagues in the correct order.
Passover Drawing Game: Draw Passover symbols like the Seder plate, Moses, or Pharaoh, and have others guess what they are.
Matzo Jenga: Play a version of Jenga using pieces of matzah. See who can remove pieces without breaking the stack.
Passover Puzzles and Riddles: Solve Passover-themed riddles and logic puzzles to test players’ knowledge of the holiday.
Passover Pin the Matzo: A variation of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” where players pin a matzo on a Seder plate while blindfolded.
Moses and Pharaoh Tug of War: Divide into teams and play tug of war, representing the struggle between Moses and Pharaoh.
Passover Acting Game: Act out different scenes from the Exodus story and have others guess which part is being performed.
Seder Plate Scavenger Hunt: Hide symbolic foods from the Seder plate around the house and have players search for them.
Plague Hopscotch: Create a hopscotch board with the ten plagues and have players hop through in order.
Matzah Toss Challenge: Players toss pieces of matzah into a basket or bowl, with points awarded for accuracy.
Pharaoh’s Pyramid Challenge: Build a pyramid out of blocks or paper cups and see who can make the tallest structure.
Passover Matching Game: Match Passover symbols or words with their meanings or descriptions in a memory card game.
Afikoman Relay: In teams, participants take turns running to find hidden afikoman pieces and return them to their team.
Crossing the Red Sea Obstacle Course: Set up an obstacle course where players “cross the Red Sea” by completing challenges.
Passover Bingo with Prizes: Play a game of bingo with Passover symbols and hand out small Passover-themed prizes to winners.
DIY Seder Plate: Create your own Seder plate using a paper plate, paint, and labeled cups for each symbolic food.
Passover Matzah Cover: Sew or decorate a fabric matzah cover with festive Passover symbols and designs.
Afikoman Bag: Make a special Afikoman bag using felt, fabric glue, and Passover-themed decorations.
Salt Water Dish: Paint small bowls or containers to hold the salt water used during the Seder.
Ten Plagues Story Stones: Paint small rocks with symbols representing each of the ten plagues to use as storytelling aids.
Moses Staff Craft: Use cardboard tubes, paint, and twine to create a replica of Moses’ staff.
Passover Candle Holders: Decorate glass candle holders with Passover-themed designs to use during the Seder.
Handmade Elijah’s Cup: Use paint and embellishments to decorate a special cup for Elijah to place on the Seder table.
Felt Seder Plate Play Set: Make a felt Seder plate with removable felt pieces representing each symbolic food.
Red Sea Split Diorama: Create a diorama of the splitting of the Red Sea using blue paper, cardboard, and small figurines.
Plague Finger Puppets: Make finger puppets for each of the ten plagues using felt, glue, and markers.
Passover Haggadah Bookmarks: Design and decorate bookmarks with Passover symbols to use during the Seder reading.
Passover-Themed Placemat: Decorate a placemat with Passover symbols and traditions using markers and paper or laminate for durability.
DIY Kiddush Cup: Decorate a plastic or metal cup to use as a Kiddush cup during the Seder.
Matzah Box Craft: Create and decorate a box to store matzah using cardboard or wood, then paint or embellish it.
Exodus Story Scroll: Make a scroll telling the story of the Exodus by drawing or writing key scenes on a long piece of paper.
Passover Paper Chain Garland: Cut strips of paper with Passover symbols and connect them to create a decorative garland.
Seder Plate Mosaic: Use small tiles or colored paper pieces to create a mosaic version of the Seder plate.
Pharaoh’s Crown: Make a decorative Pharaoh’s crown using gold-colored paper, sequins, and markers.
Passover Door Hanger: Create a door hanger with Passover greetings or symbols using cardboard and craft supplies.
Decorative Matzah Holder: Make a decorative matzah holder with wood or cardboard, and paint or embellish it with Passover themes.
Plague Masks: Design masks representing the ten plagues using paper plates, paint, and other craft materials.
Moses in the Basket Craft: Recreate the story of baby Moses in a basket using paper, cloth, and a small basket.
Seder Step-by-Step Cards: Create a set of cards that explain the steps of the Seder with illustrations and descriptions.
Passover Napkin Rings: Make decorative napkin rings using paper towel tubes, paint, and Passover-themed designs.
Matzo Ball Soup: A traditional Passover soup made with matzo meal dumplings floating in a flavorful chicken broth.
Charoset: A sweet mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon, and wine, symbolizing the mortar used by the Israelites in Egypt.
Matzo Brei: A dish made by frying matzo pieces mixed with eggs, similar to French toast, perfect for breakfast or brunch.
Gefilte Fish: A classic Ashkenazi dish made from ground fish patties, typically served cold with horseradish.
Tzimmes: A sweet stew made with carrots, sweet potatoes, and dried fruits, often slow-cooked with honey.
Passover Brownies: Flourless chocolate brownies made with matzo meal or almond flour to keep them kosher for Passover.
Seder Plate Salad: A creative salad featuring the symbolic foods from the Seder plate, such as bitter herbs, charoset, and parsley.
Roasted Lamb Shank: A nod to the traditional lamb sacrifice, slow-roasted and seasoned with herbs for a tender main dish.
Coconut Macaroons: Sweet and chewy cookies made from shredded coconut and egg whites, a popular Passover dessert.
Matzo Pizza: Use matzo as the crust and top it with tomato sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings for a Passover-friendly pizza.
Passover Apple Cake: A flourless cake made with apples, eggs, and matzo meal, lightly sweetened and spiced with cinnamon.
Matzagna (Matzo Lasagna): A Passover twist on lasagna, using matzo sheets instead of pasta, layered with sauce, cheese, and vegetables.
Quinoa Salad: A light and refreshing salad made with quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, and herbs, suitable for Passover.
Chocolate-Covered Matzo: Matzo sheets coated with a layer of melted chocolate and sprinkled with nuts or sea salt for a sweet snack.
Passover Latkes: Potato pancakes made with grated potatoes and matzo meal, fried until crispy and served with applesauce or sour cream.
Herb-Crusted Salmon: A baked salmon fillet coated in fresh herbs and matzo meal crumbs, perfect for a Seder main course.
Matzo Granola: A crunchy and sweet breakfast option made with broken matzo, nuts, honey, and dried fruit.
Flourless Chocolate Cake: A rich, dense chocolate cake made without flour, perfect for Passover dessert.
Chicken with Apricot Glaze: Roasted chicken thighs glazed with a sweet and tangy apricot sauce, a flavorful Passover dinner.
Zucchini Matzo Quiche: A savory quiche made with matzo meal crust and a filling of zucchini, eggs, and herbs.
Passover Almond Cookies: Crunchy, nutty cookies made with almond flour, eggs, and sugar, perfect for a sweet treat.
Eggplant Matzo Bake: A casserole made with layers of matzo, roasted eggplant, tomato sauce, and cheese.
Honey-Glazed Carrots: Sweet carrots roasted with honey and herbs, a great side dish for the Seder meal.
Passover Bagels: Soft and chewy bagels made with matzo meal, perfect for breakfast or brunch during Passover.
Matzo Toffee: A sweet treat made by layering matzo with caramel and chocolate, then chilling until it’s crunchy and delicious.