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Matzah Covers & Afikoman Sets 1 | 2
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Passover is the Jewish holiday that celebrates and memorializes
the freedom of the Hebrews or Israelites from slavery in Egypt and takes place
near the end of March or beginning of April. During the first two nights, there
are gastronomic marvels and readings from the Haggadah, with prayers, singing,
and blessings, which occur in a specific "order" or sequence. The meaning
of 'order' in Hebrew is coincidentally, "Seder". The youngest child
(it was always me, in my family) recites the four questions, and the traditional
head of the family, usually the grandfather, recites the readings from the Haggadah.
No food containing yeast (called 'Chometz' or 'Chametz' in Hebrew) is allowed
in the house during the holiday of Passover. Only unleavened bread, called Matzah,
is permitted. This symbolizes the unleavened bread that the Israelites or Hebrews
made in haste, as they were fleeing Egypt.
The Passover seder table should be set up with the finest
dishes, glasses and cutlery in the household. After all, this is a celebration
about freedom from slavery and we are to dine as if we were kings or queens, who
symbolized independence and freedom in ancient times!
Along with setting the table with the finest tableware, each person attending
the Passover seder is given a copy of the special Passover "instruction manual"
known as the Passover Haggadah. Each copy of the Passover Haggadah is placed beside
the plate on the Passover seder table that is reserved for each person. |
