Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals of ancient Israel and commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. Its name comes from the miracle in which God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites during the tenth plague. The holiday was originally two festivals: Pesach, a holiday-related to animal sacrifice; and Hag Hamatzot, an agricultural holiday related to the beginning of the spring harvest. 

The holiday is centered on the family or communal celebration called a Seder (order) that is part ceremony reenacting the Exodus and part family meal filled with symbolic foods. The table has a number of ritual items including a Seder plate.  These “props” help the family tell the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt.  The Seder evolved from the Greek/Roman idea of a salon-adults lounging around drinking wine, having appetizers, and discussing “big” ideas, to the Middle Ages where the idea was to keep the children engaged with songs, and symbols, and questions and prizes. To prepare for the holiday, some people have the custom to search the house for chametz using candlelight.  

Keeping children engaged in the Seder is an important part of the holiday and gives everyone an opportunity for creativity and imagination. There are several components of the Seder that are designed to engage children, and they work on keeping everyone connected to the telling of the story. 

• The Four Questions are starter questions to get everyone warmed up. Questions and conversation are one the best ways to have everyone engaged for the whole evening. Children are often the ones to sing the Four Questions at the Seder. It is a great way to get them involved in the evening. 
• Get crafty! There are a lot of craft projects kids can do to get ready for the holiday. 
• The Afikomen, "dessert"  is broken in two during the Passover Seder. One piece is set aside to be eaten as a dessert after the meal. You can hide the afikomen and have the children find the dessert as a way to keep them active until the final act of the evening. 

The Haggadah is the most popular book in the history of Jewish printing, having gone through thousands of editions. The Haggadahs used in Morocco are almost identical to those in Jewish homes in Munich.  In 1932, Maxwell House, a leading coffee manufacturer, decided to print and distribute the now-iconic Maxwell House Haggadah. There are more than 50 million of these Haggadahs in print. There was a two-year pause on the printing during World War II, due to paper shortages.

The food for the Passover Seder is also a way to bring meaning into the holiday. Matzah, unleavened bread, is an integral element of the Passover festival. Matzo is made from flour and water. The flour may be whole grain or refined grain, but must be either wheat, spelt, barley, rye, or oat. You can make your own Matzah at home using this recipe.   

Charoset is another ceremonial and symbolic food that is part of the Seder.  The recipe for charoset is regional and takes advantage of the seasonal foods.  You can bring the Jewish traditions from around the world to your Seder, by preparing different recipes of charoset for your Seder.