When Is Passover 2024? Everything You Need To Know About the Holiday
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 2024, as well as its meaning and how it's celebrated (and what to eat for it!), here.
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When Is Passover 2024?
Passover 2024 begins before sundown on Monday, April 22, 2024, and ends after nightfall on April 30, 2024.
When Does Passover Start?
Passover in 2024 starts on the evening of April 22.
When Does Passover End?
Passover ends at sundown on April 30.
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How Many Days Is Passover?
Passover is eight days long, though some Jewish reform groups celebrate it for seven days.
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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 Is the Meaning of Passover?
Passover, called Pesach, gets its name from a pretty dark story: When Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, God unleashed 10 plagues on Egypt. The 10th plague was the death of every firstborn son. God told Moses to instruct Israelites to mark their doorposts with lambs' blood so God would "pass over" their homes and let their firstborn sons live.
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What Does Passover Celebrate?
Passover celebrates the Exodus, when Israelites fled to freedom from their enslavement in Egypt.
What Do You Say on Passover?
Wishing someone a "happy Passover" is, no pun intended, totally kosher, per Chabad.org. That said, if you want to get more specific, if you know the person with whom you're speaking keeps a kosher home for Passover, you can wish them a "kosher and joyous Passover." You can also wish a celebrant a "happy Pesach."
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Why Is Matzo Eaten During Passover?
According to the Torah, the Pharoah didn't give Israelites enough time for their bread to rise before they had to make their escape from Egypt. As a result, during Passover, celebrants only enjoy unleavened breads to honor and remind celebrants of the rush Jews were in to flee to freedom.
What Other Foods Are Served During Passover?
Specific dishes vary, but aside from matzah, other foods traditionally served during Passover include gefilte fish, roasted chicken, brisket, potato kugel (similar to a casserole), sweet potatoes and matzoh ball or egg drop soup.
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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.
Need dessert ideas for Passover? These recipes are all great for Passover (or anytime)!
