Passover Seder
| Passover Seder | |
|---|---|
Table set for the Passover Seder | |
| Observed by | Jews, Samaritans, other groups claiming affiliation with Israelites |
| Type | Religious, cultural |
| Significance | To retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt |
| Celebrations | In Jewish practice, one or two festive Seder meals on the first two nights |
| Date | 14th day of Nisan |
| 2025 date | Evening, 12 April |
| 2026 date | Evening, 1 April |
| 2027 date | Evening, 21 April |
| 2028 date | Evening, 10 April |
| Related to | Three Pilgrimage Festivals (particularly Shavuot which follows 49 days from the second night of Passover) |
The Passover Seder is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world at the start of the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar (at sunset, when a Hebrew day begins). The day falls in late March or in April of the Gregorian calendar. Passover lasts for seven days in Israel, and customarily eight days in the Jewish diaspora. A seder is held on the first night, the 15th of Nisan; where eight days are observed, a seder is also held on the second night.
The Seder is a ritual involving a retelling of the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, taken from the Book of Exodus (Shemot) in the Torah. The Seder itself is based on the Biblical verse commanding Jews to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt: "You shall tell your child on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'" (Exodus 13:8) At the seder, Jews read the text of the Haggadah, an ancient Tannaitic work narrating the Israelite exodus from Egypt, with special blessings and rituals, Talmudic commentaries, and Passover songs.
Seder customs include telling and discussing the story, drinking four cups of wine, eating matzah, partaking of symbolic foods, and reclining in celebration of freedom. The Seder is one of the most celebrated Jewish rituals, performed by Jews all over the world.