How to Celebrate the 7 Days of Passover

Passover is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated for 7 days by Jews in Israel, most Reform Jews and some Conservative Jews. The exact dates of Passover originally had to be determined by rabbis in Israel and but this information could not be relayed quickly to Jews outside the local area. An extra day was added to Passover to ensure the correct days were celebrated.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Begin Passover on the 14th of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar. Both 7- and 8-day celebrations of Passover begin on this day, which is usually in early April.

2. Conduct a Seder on the first night of Passover. This is a ritualized dinner that has 15 stages that are prescribed in a book called the Haggadah, which means "telling" in Hebrew. These steps were determined by rabbis in the first 2 centuries of the Common Era, but the exact order was not set until the Middle Ages.

3. Treat the first and last days of Passover as Yom Tov days. Yom Tov means "good day" in Hebrew and is the name given to fully holy days. These days are generally treated like the Sabbath in regard to the activities that are prohibited. For example, work is generally prohibited, although there are some rare exceptions.

4. Celebrate the days between the first and last days of Passover as a Chol Ha-Moed or "Weekday Festival." These days are half holy days with some forms of work and other activities being permitted.

5. Recite various prayers during Passover as required, both at home and in the synagogue. This includes a special prayer for Passover, the "Prayer for Dew."

Resources

• Learn more about celebrating a 7-day Passover.