Passover is one of the oldest holidays, the history of which goes back thousands of years. The Jews themselves call it Passover, which in Hebrew means “pass by” or “pass”. When answering the question when Jewish Passover is celebrated in Israel, it should be noted that it is celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, but all the dates of the Jewish calendar are floating, and therefore, according to the Julian style, a memorable event can occur on different numbers, depending on the particular of the year.
History : the holiday is associated with a historical event, described in detail in the second book of the Torah, which in the Russian tradition is called "Exodus". This is a biblical legend about the slave life of Jews in Egypt, the persecution of a small nation by the pharaoh and his priests, as well as about the subsequent liberation. The notion of “passing” is connected with God's command to anoint the doorposts with the blood of the sacrificial lamb, so that the angel of death could pass by Jewish houses and kill only the first-born of the Egyptians.
Researchers are convinced that the roots of Passover should be sought in two archaic and already forgotten agricultural holidays. One of them is associated with a new offspring of cattle, when the Jews were supposed to sacrifice one lamb without visible defects, and the other with the first harvest. Collecting barley, people completely destroyed the old bread preserved in the house and baked cakes from the grains of the new crop, which were called “matzo”.
The meaning of the holiday : such holidays in Israel as Passover received not only a pronounced religious significance, but also another key point, which modern Jews often forget. So, in its essence, Passover became a turning point in the formation of a single nation and the subsequent national identification of Jews as a separate ethnic group.
Before the outcome described in the Torah, slaves were ordinary subjects of the pharaoh, although they retained some identity and religious specificity in relation to the rest of the inhabitants of Egypt. After leaving the territory of a powerful country, the Jews, led by the leader Moses, became a real people with their own hierarchy and institutions, and after moving to the Promised Land they were able to establish their own state, build the only temple to serve the Almighty and create the first royal dynasty in its history.
Celebration : Passover is traditionally celebrated for an eight-day period, and not only certain religious rituals are characteristic of each day, but also the corresponding acts of believers. During the ceremony, called the "Seder," each dish on the table symbolizes any episode associated with the exodus from Egypt. For example, matzoh, baked in the form of thin and flat cakes, is associated with unleavened dough, which the Jews had to rush to take with them when they were forced to flee the persecution of the troops of the pharaoh.
Mandatory dishes include a mixture of nuts and apples, a cup of salt water, horseradish or bitter grass. They serve as a reminder of how the ancestors of modern Jews had to sculpt clay bricks in the construction of the pyramids, shed tears and feel the bitterness of slave life and complete lawlessness. Passover is not only a feast, each meal is accompanied by a certain set of blessings and prayers, as well as reading psalms.
At the end of the ceremony, the phrase “Next year - in Jerusalem!” Sounds every time, which is associated with the completion of the “dispersion” among the other nations and the return to the Promised Land. The main religious rituals are held in synagogues, the rabbi reads the Song of Songs, and all believers who must sing and dance, praising the Almighty, are immersed in a joyful and festive atmosphere.