What time does Passover 2018 end, what’s the Jewish festival about and what date is Pesach Sheni celebrated?
This year the event started on Friday March 30 and ends Saturday April 7
PASSOVER began on Friday March 30 this year, and lasts until Saturday April 7.
After the festival has ended, the second Passover, Pesach Sheni, comes on Saturday April 28, ending the next day. Here's the lowdown...
What is Passover?
Passover is an annual spring festival that Jews celebrate to remember the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt.
It is celebrated with friends and family who eat ceremonial meals such as Seders and cook traditional foods.
There is also a focus on helping the needy, with many communal Seders being held in public halls or synagogues.
Some Jews opt to take holidays during Passover, and some Jewish businesses may close or have reduced service during the period.
When does Passover end?
The festival is celebrated in early spring, during the Hebrew month of Nissan.
In 2018, the celebration ends in the evening of Saturday April 7.
This means it lasts for eight days, although it goes on for seven among Reform Jewish groups.
What is the Jewish spring festival commemorating?
Passover celebrates the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, and you may know the story from the Bible or the Prince of Egypt film.
The festival represents a time when God sent Moses to the Egyptian Pharaoh to free his people from their hard labour.
When the Pharaoh refused, God then sent down ten plagues that devastated Egypt, including locusts that ate all the crops and an infestation of frogs.
God spared the Israelites from the plagues and “passed over” their home, which gave the name to the holiday.
Due to the devastation, the Pharaoh released the slaves and they left in such a hurry they didn’t have time to wait for their baked bread to rise.
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What foods are eaten at Passover?
Popular food and drink during the festival include:
- Matzah - Dry, cracker-like bread
- Maror - Bitter herbs, usually horseradish
- Beitzah - Hard-boiled egg
- Zeroah - Shank bone
- Charoset - A sweet paste made from nuts and fruit
- Karpas - Leafy green vegetables, usually lettuce
- Four cups of wine
What is a Seder feast?
The Seder meal is held on the first two nights of Passover after nightfall.
This year it is being held on Friday, March 30 and Saturday, April 1.
There are 15 steps to the Seder, which include celebratory toasts and readings.
It involves a marathon feast of eating, drinking wine, singing and telling stories.
How do you say happy Passover in Hebrew?
To wish others a "Happy Passover" the phrase in Hebrew is "Pesach Sameach".
In Hebrew adjectives come after the noun with "Pesach" translating as "Passover" and "Sameach" meaning "Happy".
The phrase is pronounced "PAY-sock sah-MEY-akh."
Other phrases you can say are:
- Chag Sameach which means Happy Festival
- Chag Pesach Sameach which means Happy Passover Festival
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When is the Second Passover, Pesach Sheni?
Pesach Sheni falls exactly one month after 14 Nisan, the day before Passover.
This year, this will begin on Saturday April 28 and end on Sunday April 29.
The date serves as a "second chance" for those who didn't bring an offering in the weeks before.
Just like the April festival, the Jewish calendar date is celebrated by the eating of matzah, in remembrance of the Passover offering.