Passover 2023: What is Passover, dates and greetings

Passover is one of the most important festivals in the Jewish calendar, with celebrations set to begin on Wednesday (April 5). The celebrations will last for several days in Jewish communities around the world.

The Feast of Passover, which is known as Pesach in Hebrew, commemorates the liberation of the Children of Israel, who were led out of Egypt by Moses. Jewish people have celebrated Passover since around 1300 BC, according to the Book of Exodus.

Their belief says the Children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 210 years when God promised he would release them from slavery. However, Pharaoh refused their release, leading God to plant 10 plagues on Egypt to demonstrate his power (Exodus 3: 19-20).

The celebration, which is sometimes called The Festival of Freedom, is one of the three occasions in the year when Jews were to go to the Temple in Jerusalem, according to the commandments of the Torah. Passover can also be called the Festival of Spring, and was an agricultural festival marking the beginning of the cycle of production and harvest during the time the Jews lived in ancient Palestine.

But how is Passover celebrated and how long does the celebration last for? Here’s everything you need to know.

Passover dates 2023

Passover 2023 will begin on Wednesday evening (April 5), and the celebration will end on Thursday evening (April 13). The dates are determined according to the Hebrew calendar, which is based on the lunar cycle.

Passover  starts in the middle of the month of Nisan, when the moon is full, typically falling in March or April on the modern calendar. As a result, Passover often falls very close to Easter.

How is Passover celebrated?

Each year, Passover is celebrated to commemorate the liberation of the Children of Israel. The celebrations last for seven or eight days, depending on where you live.

In Israel, the event lasts for seven days, with the first and seventh days observed as full days of rest, known as yom tov. The middle five days are intermediate holidays, known as hol ha-moed.

Outside of Israel, Passover lasts for eight days. The first two and last two days are observed as full days of rest. Although the Torah says to celebrate Passover for seven days, in the past, Jews in the Diaspora lived too far away from Israel to receive word as to when to begin their observances, so an additional day of celebration was added to ensure the event was celebrated to its full capacity.

Before Passover begins, homes are given a thorough spring clean to ensure no banned foods are in the home. The celebration typically kicks off with an event called ‘Seder’, a special feast for families and friends.

On yom tov, work is restricted and more feasts are enjoyed. On the final day of Passover, Yizkor ( a special memorial prayer for departed loved ones) is said and a special feast is enjoyed once again by families and friends.

Passover greetings

In English, you can simply wish someone ‘Happy Passover’. In Hebrew, you can greet someone with ‘Chag Sameach’ or ‘Chag Pesach Sameach’, which means ‘Happy Passover Holidays’.