Passover is probably my second favorite holiday of the year (Thanksgiving is first). I am a big fan of tradition and ceremony. I was raised Catholic after all. There aren’t many holidays that are as traditional and ceremonious as Passover. And I love a good story. You can hardly find a better story than the Passover story: Moses, The Plagues, Exodus from Egypt into freedom, the parting of the Red Sea. It’s pretty amazing!
Last Monday we went to Josh’s Aunt’s house for the annual family Seder.
I know that many people aren’t very familiar with Jewish holidays. When we went to Disneyland for Eleanor’s birthday in December we overheard a tour guide explaining Hanukkah to the crowd as if it was some exotic foreign holiday. It was pretty funny. We assumed the tour was full of Midwesterners who had only seen Jews on tv.
If you don’t know what a Seder is, please read about it, this Wikipedia Article on Passover Seders gives a really good explanation.
Don’t worry! We didn’t give her any wine! That’s white grape juice she’s drinking.
Eleanor is excited to be the only small kid in the family. She get’s the find the Afikomen the every year. The Afikomen is the half-piece of matzo which is broken at the start of the Seder and then hid for the children to find. The meal doesn’t end until it is found and traded back to the adults. It’s usually traded for money or a small gift. This year Eleanor got Seder plate fridge magnets.
I’ve decided that we’ll do our own, more casual, Seder next year! I just love Passover, one Seder a year is not enough!
