Passover Traditions

The Passover is a symbolic celebration of a greatly historical event in Egypt in biblical times. This paper will discuss the historical origin, the traditions that followed, compare the original celebration of the Passover with the current edition of it celebrated in this day, and it will the Christian version that evolved.

Exodus 12:11-14: "And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever."

Thus was the Passover to begin. This sacred ritual was designed in Ancient Egyptian times to prevent the Angel of Darkness from entering in the houses of the Israelites and taking the life of the first born child or animal. They were to be ready, for as soon as the Pharaoh dismissed them, they were to flee out of Egypt and never look back.

In the Jewish culture today, there are many other special celebrations for the people. To list a few besides the Passover, there are The New Year, Day of Atonement, Penitential Days, Pentecost, Tabernacles, Purim, and Hanukkah. This is only listing a few of the more important days. Some minor sacred days are New Moon, Omer, Lag Be-and Yom Kippur Katan, Shemini Azeret, Hosha’na Rabbah, and Simhat Torah (Jacobs 79). This is not all but it will soon prove a point.

“While an important feast of early days, now no longer respected, was that of Water Drawing” (Jacobs 79). Why is this day forgotten? Perhaps it is because of the many worldly motivated celebrations of the faith. With each new festival created, lies the inconsiderateness of ancient traditions. This quite easily could have occurred to the Passover. When first introduced, this ceremony was taken quite seriously. Today, it can still hold onto its ancient symbolism as a spiritual ceremony and feast. But many of the times, it is perceived as just another feast and just another chore.

Passover was a festival of liberation, a season of freedom. It was designed to commemorate the deliverance in Egypt. It celebrates the time of the Israelite liberation from the Egyptians, while looking forward to the Messiah’s final salvation of His people, the Jews (Schonfield 111).

Passover was to be celebrated on the 15th of the 1st month of the Jewish calendar. A one-year-old lamb without blemish was selected by each household on the 10th day of the month. It was to be kept until the 15th, when it would be slaughtered and the blood of the lamb would be smeared on the outside doorposts and lintel (VanderKam 205). This was the chief symbol of the Passover (Schonfield 111).

The day after the Passover, they are to only eat unleavened bread for the next seven days. This prohibition of leavening symbolized the speed that the Israelites were forced to leave Egypt. They couldn’t wait, and they had no time beforehand to prepare their provisions (VanderKam 205). This unleavened bread was to symbolize Christ’s body. The bitter herbs symbolized the humiliation that Christ endured, while the wine symbolized the blood of Christ that was spilt. The resurrection of Christ was symbolized by the first fruits of barley and the prayers for morning dew (Schonfield 111).

A Second Passover was created for those that were unclean during the Passover. One being unclean includes one who has touched a corpse or was away at the time of Passover. This Second Passover was for those mentioned to make up the celebration. This celebration would be held on the 14th of the second month (VanderKam 205).

There are many traditions of the Passover, including the Passover Seder. The Passover Seder meal was traditionally eaten on the 1st night of the Passover in Israel and on the 1st and 2nd nights in the Jewish Diaspora. The Seder relives the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt “through the words of the Haggadah, the drinking of Four Cups of Wine, the eating of matzot, and the eating of and reference to symbolic foods placed on the Passover Seder Plate” (Wikipedia). There are many variations of the Seder, depending on the household traditions and the culture of the land, but there are many similarities. This is mainly because the Haggadah outlines the procedure of the ritual.

There are four themes of Seder. These include Slavery and Freedom, the Four Cups, Seder Plate, and Focus on the Children. The Slavery and Freedom theme is expressed through the eating of the matzo (unleavened bread), maror (bitter herbs), and charoset (sweet paste). They eat these in a reclined position, while dipping vegetables into salt water. The salt water