What to Teach Your Kids about Passover (even if you don’t celebrate it)

From colorful baskets to chocolate bunnies, Easter gets all the attention when it comes to spring holidays. Without a doubt, it’s the biggest kid on the holiday block. However, it’s not the only holiday in town. Passover is another important holiday that is often ‘passed over’ in the popular imagination. 

So what is Passover, and why is it important? It’s tempting to just think of it as the Jewish version of Easter, but it’s quite different. You won’t find any mention of bunnies in Passover tradition. Instead it’s meant to commemorate the liberation of the Hebrews from their bondage in Egypt. It’s one of the oldest continuously celebrated holidays and typically runs for seven or eight days, depending on where you live. The most common food eaten during Passover is unleavened (without yeast) bread that symbolizes the Hebrews rapid flight from the land of the Pharaohs. They left in such a hurry they didn’t have time to wait for their bread to rise. In fact, no leavened bread or any other product containing yeast is eaten during this time. Celebrations take place all over the world, including Poland, Ethiopia and even Nepal. See this site for more information about Passover and how it’s celebrated. 

Even if you don’t celebrate it, learning about Passover and the traditions behind it is a great way to understand different cultures. It can help those who do celebrate Passover to feel represented and valued, bringing us all a little closer together in our shared humanity.