Passover is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt a long, long time ago. The story goes that God sent Moses to help the Jewish people escape from slavery in Egypt. To convince the Pharaoh to let the Jewish people go, God sent ten plagues to Egypt, like turning the water into blood and making a lot of frogs appear. The last plague was the worst one: God passed through Egypt and took the life of every firstborn child and animal.
To protect themselves, the Jewish people were told to mark their doors with the blood of a lamb so that God would know to pass over their homes and not harm their firstborn children. This is where the holiday gets its name: Passover.
Today, Jewish people celebrate Passover by having a special meal called a Seder with their family and friends. They eat special foods, like matzah (a type of flatbread), and tell the story of how their ancestors escaped from Egypt. It's a time for Jewish people to remember their history and be grateful for their freedom.
During the Passover Seder, there are many symbolic foods and rituals that help tell the story of the Jewish people's escape from slavery. For example, the matzah that is eaten represents the flatbread that the Jewish people had to quickly bake and take with them when they left Egypt, as they didn't have time to let their bread rise. The bitter herbs represent the bitterness of slavery, and the salt water symbolizes the tears that were shed during those difficult times.
Another important part of the Passover story is the crossing of the Red Sea. After the Jewish people left Egypt, they were chased by the Pharaoh and his army. But with God's help, Moses was able to part the Red Sea and the Jewish people were able to cross to safety on the other side. This is why the song "Dayenu" is sung during the Seder, which means "it would have been enough" in Hebrew, to express gratitude for each miracle that happened along the way.
Passover is a time for Jewish people to come together with their families and friends, to celebrate their freedom and to remember their history. It's a special holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years and is an important part of Jewish culture and tradition.
