Passover is the Jewish celebration that commemorates the freedom of the Jews from enslavement by the Egyptians and their exodus from Egypt. The Jews, led by Moses, asked the Pharoah for freedom and they were denied. As punishment against Egypt, God sent ten plagues to convince the Pharaoh to release the Jews. The Pharoah would not obey. As a result, God sent the last plague, which would kill the firstborn male in each household.

Through Moses, the Jews were instructed to mark their doors with the blood of a sacrificed lamb so that the Angel of Death would “pass over” their households. Passover is derived from the Hebrew "Pesach" which means to "pass over" or "to protect." With this last plague, the Pharoah finally relented and the Jews were free to began their exodus from Egypt. The holiday of Passover commemorates these events and the freeing of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.

In the United States, a Passover Seder is held on the first two nights of Passover, which begins on the night of the 15th day of Nissan and lasts for eight days. During the Passover Seder, a book is read, called the Haggadah, which tells the story of Passover and discusses how to celebrate the Passover Seder, including which foods to eat and when and their symbolism. These foods include bitter herbs, sweet apples, and matzah -- all of which are symbolic of the imprisonment of Jews. Matzah, which is unleavened bread, is eaten at Passover because when the Jews fled Egypt, there was no time to allow their bread to rise.

Read all of the articles in our Jewish Passover Traditions series:

• Jewish Passover - Overview of the Passover holiday.
• Symbolism of the Miriam's Cup - The new role of the Miriam's Cup that brings women into the heart of Judaism.
• Reflections of My Passover, AWESOME Recipes, and Spring is Here! - A light-hearted fun-filled blog post by Risa.