Goodness me, it seems just like yesterday that New Year’s Eve was hear and we were all counting down excitedly to midnight, but now the fireworks have been packed away and I’m writing on Passover. It is plain to see that time truly waits for no man. Anyway, Passover or Pesach as it is known in Hebrew is a holiday that is not very far away now and therefore, we here at Sir Holiday wanted to delve into what exactly is Passover and why is it celebrated. Therefore, without any further ado let us dive into the true meaning and hopefully, the history behind the story of Passover.

Passover is a religious celebration occurring within Judaism that highlights the Biblical story where God aided the Israelites in leaving the shackles of slavery in Egypt. After this feat, God commanded the Israelites to always remember the 14^th day of the month Nisan formerly known as Abib in the Jewish calendar. The term Passover refers to the time within the Bible when God sent forth a plague unto Egypt where each and every firstborn child was killed due to the plague. The children of the Israelites were spared as the Lord informed them that if they slaughtered a lamb or a goat and then painted the front doors of their home with a red X, that they would be spared. Their homes were spared and the devastation of the Egyptian families losing their firstborn children caused such despair and fear that the Israelites were eventually released.

After this period, or rather during the years which the Bible actually refers to, Passover was observed in the following ways: namely a good old family get together with all of the trimmings, and a sacrifice. Don’t worry no humans were sacrificed, however a family would choose a specific goat or lamb from their herd on the 10^th day of Nisan and then four days later they would sacrifice it in the name of Passover. On the very first Passover ever held, the Israelites used the blood from the goat to paint the frames of doors and walls, as well as using the animal as meat for the main meal of the day as well. In addition to the goat, it was customary to eat unleavened bread and bitter green vegetables for their all-important lunch of the day. 

Interestingly enough, after eating the unleavened bread on Passover, the Israelites then went on to have the seven day festival of unleavened bread the very next day. This festival lasted for a whole week, and during this week not a single morsel of unleavened bread would be eaten at all. While not eating unleavened bread might not seem like a big deal, however considering this would have been a major source of calories during these times, it is fair to say that there would have been serious cravings for unleavened bread over those seven days. Many Jewish people take the opportunity to travel to the city of Jerusalem during Passover in order to fully commemorate the significance of the occasion.

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Image 1 link:

https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/04/06/15/28/easter-709524__340.jpg

Lamb link:

https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/02/26/14/52/lamb-2100396__340.jpg