Celebrating Pesach

Celebrating Pesach

As spring arrives, the Jewish communities around the world prepare to celebrate Pesach, a tradition that has been observed for over 3,000 years and marks one of the most defining events in Jewish history: the Exodus from Egypt. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Nisan (which corresponds to March-April), lasts for seven days and this year is celebrated April 13th in the Gregorian calendar. Pesach means “to pass over” and refers to the Angel of Death passing over the homes of the Israelites when the firstborn children of the Egyptians were struck down (Exodus 12:22).

Pesach is also the Festival of Spring (Chag HaAviv), making it more than just a reference to historical events. It represents a symbol of renewal and life, linking the holiday to the season of rejuvenation and nature. This connection to spring is especially significant during the Seder (the ceremony held at home during the first two nights of Pesach), which is filled with themes of liberation and transformation. The symbolic foods and the reading of the Haggadah (Narration) reflect various aspects of the Exodus story. The story of Pesach is told through rituals, traditions, and the passing down of stories from generation to generation. From the unleavened matzah bread, which symbolizes the speed of the Israelites’ departure, to the bitter maror, which represents the bitterness of slavery, each element on the Seder plate has deep symbolic meaning. The phrase “Let all who are hungry come and eat” embodies the spirit of the holiday, emphasizing hospitality and the value of community.

• Pesach instructions written in Greek by Elias Negrin. This guide outlines the preparation and observance of the Seder, featuring blessing transliterated into Greek characters. Reflecting the unique Romaniote traditions of Ioannina’s Jewish community, it includes distinctive local practices, such as the use of kanistri (basket) in place of a traditional Seder plate. Similar in content to other 19th-centry Judaeo-Greek Pesach texts in the JMG Collection, 1935, Ioannina © The Jewish Museum of Greece – Judaica Collection.
• Tin Pesach pan with circular indentations for matzah balls, donated by Nina Gani-Konstantini, c. 1920, Zakynthos © The Jewish Museum of Greece – Judaica Collection.
• Recipe for Pesach. Source: Stavroulakis, N., Cookbook of the Jews of Greece, Athens, 1986 © JMG Library.