Passover 2020 begins at sundown on Wednesday April 8, and ends Thursday evening April 16. The first Passover seder (festive meal) is on the evening of April 8, and the second Passover seder takes place on the evening of April 9.
Passover is a festival of freedom that commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and their transition from slavery to freedom. The main ritual of Passover is the seder, which occurs on the first two nights (in Israel just the first night) of the holiday — a festive meal that involves the re-telling of the exodus through stories and song and the consumption of ritual foods, including matzah and maror (bitter herbs). The seder’s rituals and other readings are outlined in the Haggadah (Passover guide).
The central Passover practice is a set of intense dietary changes, mainly the absence of hametz, or foods with leaven. The ecstatic cycle of psalms called Hallel is recited both at night and day (during the seder and morning prayers). Additionally, Passover commences a 49-day period called the Omer, which recalls the count between offerings brought to the ancient temple in Jerusalem. This count culminates in the holiday of Shavuot, the anniversary of the receiving of the Torah at Sinai.
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