Today is the first day of Passover, so much celebrating has begun!

I know we’ve talked about Passover before, so I hope you don’t mind a little more.

Passover is the telling of the story of the Jews exodus from Egypt. It took them 40 years, only fitting the seder takes a few hours! The seder is the meal and service all rolled into one. There are symbolic foods that go with the seder and have a certain place in the seder, or service, when they are eaten.

There are certain prayers said during the seder representing different things and over different foods. There are four glasses of wine to drink,  there is matzoh to represent the bread of affliction, eggs to represent new life,  salt water to represent our tears, karpas, or greens represents the flourishing is Jews in Israel, maror is the mortar that held the bricks of the pyramid together, and so much more.

We gather around the table and each person has a haggadah, which is the prayer book that tells the story of the exodus, what everything means, blessings over the different foods and when to eat them,  there is symbolism in everything! Maybe you were like me and had the Maxwell House haggadah when you were a kid!

There are very traditional seders and less traditional. When I was younger, they were more traditional,  but still do much fun. Our seders lasted for hours because we were laughing, singing and eating. Oh, and observing of course!

After EJS came on the scene, we stated having seders in Boston at GES’ house and they became like my “orphan” thanksgiving in Atlanta.  All different families coming together to celebrate and we had more and more wee tots at the table.  When EJS was born,  I got her Sammy Spider’s First Haggadah and GES took that and marked it to go along with the traditional  haggadahs that we had so we could use them together.

This also cut the seder down quite a bit since most of the little kids, all under 8, have the attention span of a gnat, especially when you get them all together! We conver all the bases and basics but not to the level as when GES and I were kids.

When I go to PSM’s family seder tomorrow,  it will definitely be more traditional..and take a lot longer! But just as much laughing and singing and food.

There is so much more to tell you,  tomorrow!