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Passover
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A family gathers around a table of food set for Passover seder, singing the prayer song Dayenu in their home.
What and When Is Passover?
Illuminated plagues Illuminated plagues continued Deaths of the firstborns of Egypt 15th-century German Bible illustration showing Moses leading a group of Israelites between parted green waves of the Red Sea, with Hebrew text above. Seder plate Passover Four square pieces of matzo, an unleavened flatbread, stacked slightly askew on a white surface. Rows of American soldiers in uniform and helmets sit at tables set with dishes, reading from booklets during a Passover service in Germany, March 1945.
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A family gathers around a table of food set for Passover seder, singing the prayer song Dayenu in their home.
Passover seder A family at a seder, the ritual meal held to commence the Jewish festival of Passover.

Passover

Judaism
Also known as: Chag Ha-Matzot, Festival of Unleavened Bread, Hag ha-Matzot, Pesaįø„, Pesach, Season of Our Liberation, Zeman Cherutenu(Show More)
Written by
Charles Preston
Charles Preston is Associate Editor for Religion at EncyclopƦdia Britannica.
Charles Preston
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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ā€¢History

Passover, one of Judaismā€™s most significant holidays, which commemorates the Hebrewsā€™ liberation from enslavement in Egypt and the ā€œpassing overā€ of Godā€™s forces of destruction, or the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites, on the eve of the Exodus. Passover begins with the 15th and ends with either the 21st (in Israel and among Reform Jews) or the 22nd day of the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar (March or April in the...

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