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Passover To Begin Tomorrow
Jews the world over are preparing to celebrate the eight-day festival of Passover which begins tomorrow.
The Passover holiday is one of the oldest, on the Jewish calendar, having been observed for over 3,000 years.
Thursday, March 26, 1964 University Daily Kansan
It started as a simple shepherd festival. After the exodus of the Jews from Egypt it became a national holiday marking not only the emancipation of the Jews from slavery, but the birth of the Jewish nation.
WHEN THE JEWS settled in Palestine, the advent of the Passover coincided with the start of the grain harvest and it began to be celebrated as a farmers' festival.
ALTHOUGH THE details of the Seder vary with the country or the degree of orthodoxy of the family, they are essentially the same everywhere.
The name Passover is a reminder that the angel of death passed over the homes of the Hebrews during the plague of the first-born in Egypt. It also recalls the crossing of the Red Sea by the Jews in their flight from the Pharaoh's army.
A traditional ceremonial dinner the Seder, ushers in the Passover festival.
The father, the head of the family, is seated at the head of the table. In front of him is set the Seder plate with the symbolic foods arranged in a prescribed order: the three matzoths (a type of dumpling) signifying the unity of the Jewish people; a shankbone denotes the paschal lamb; the roasted egg is a reminder of the offering made by pilgrims at the Temple; the horoset, a concoction of nuts and apples which look like the bricks and the mortar the Jews made for the Pharaoh while they were in slavery.
IN THE CENTER of the Seder plate is horseradish which signifies the bitterness of their former slav-
Also important is the opening of the door for Elijah, the prophet, who is said to visit every Jewish home on Seder night. The children with keen eyes are convinced the contents of the goblet of wine set aside for the prophet are visibly lessened with the opening and shutting of the door.
Bread and all food not especially prepared for Fassover are removed from the home, and specially prepared food is brought in.
table.
TO MAKE CERTAIN that all bread has been removed from the home, the father and children go from corner to corner the night before Seder with a candle, duster and wooden spoon, reciting a special prayer.
Not only friends and family attend the Seder, but often strangers are invited as guests.
ery, and in the lower left hand corner is placed a sprig of parsley, a symbol of spring life and hope.
a spirit of spring, life and hope.
The Seder opens with the traditional "Kiddush," prayer of sanctification over the wine, and is followed by the reading of the Haggadah, the story of the exodus from Egypt. This is done in both Hebrew and English.
A highlight of the dinner is the asking of four questions by the youngest child present: (1) Why Matzoth? " (2) "Why the horseradish?" (3) "Why dip the horseradish twice?" (4) "Why recline on pillows?"
ANOTHER HIGH point is the hiding by the father of the Afikoman, the second of the three matzoths on the Seder plate, which must be found by one of the children and returned to the head of the family before the family can leave the
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