Passover 2025 Dates: What Is Passover Seder? Know Meaning, Meal Components and More for the Pesach Seder Plate
Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt over 3,000 years ago. It is observed for seven or eight days (depending on tradition) in the spring, beginning on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Nisan. Passover 2025 starts from April 12 and will end on April 19. The story, as told in the Book of Exodus, recounts how God sent Moses to free the Israelites and inflicted ten plagues upon the Egyptians. The final plague, the death of the firstborn, passed over the homes of the Israelites who had marked their doorposts with lamb’s blood—hence the name “Passover.”
Passover Seder Meaning and Meal Components
During the festival, leavened bread (chametz) is avoided, and matzah, a flat unleavened bread, is eaten to remember the haste with which the Israelites fled Egypt. Passover is a time for families to gather and retell the Exodus story, emphasizing themes of freedom, faith, and divine deliverance. Central to the celebration is the Seder, a ritual meal held on the first one or two nights, which involves storytelling, symbolic foods, songs, and specific blessings. As you observe Passover 2025, here are the details of Passover Seder plate and its components that you must know about for the day. Passover 2025 Recipes: Traditional Mouth-Watering Dishes That You Must Prepare at Home To Celebrate the Jewish Festival.
1. Maror – Bitter herbs (often horseradish), symbolizing the bitterness and harshness of slavery in Egypt.
2. Charoset – A sweet, sticky mixture of apples, nuts, wine, and spices, representing the mortar used by the Israelite slaves when building structures for the Egyptians.
3. Karpas – A green vegetable (commonly parsley or celery), dipped in salt water to symbolize the tears shed during slavery and the hope of renewal.
4. Z’roa – A roasted shank bone, symbolizing the Korban Pesach (Passover sacrifice) offered in the Temple in Jerusalem.
5. Beitzah – A roasted egg, symbolizing mourning for the destruction of the Temple and the cycle of life and renewal.
6. Chazeret – A second bitter herb (often romaine lettuce), used in addition to maror, and typically placed on the Seder plate to fulfil the requirement of eating bitter herbs twice during the Seder.
The Passover Seder plate, or ke’ara, is a special plate used during the Seder meal, containing six symbolic items that represent various aspects of the Exodus story and the suffering and triumph of the Israelites. Each item is placed in a designated spot and plays a role in the retelling of the story during the Seder. These elements are discussed and sometimes eaten during the ritual, each conveying a lesson or memory from the past.
(The above story first appeared on Today News 24 on Apr 08, 2025 09:36 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website todaynews24.top).
