The first Passover seder in 2024 begins on the evening of Monday, April 22nd, and the second Passover seder takes place on the evening of Tuesday, April 23rd.
Passover 2024 begins at sundown on Monday, April 22nd and ends the evening of Tuesday, April 30th for most Jews in diaspora. Jews in the land of Israel and some Reform Jews in diaspora will end Passover on the evening of Monday, April 29th.
Passover 2025 begins at sundown on Saturday, April 12th and ends the evening of Sunday, April 20th for most Jews in diaspora. Jews in the land of Israel and some Reform Jews in diaspora will end Passover on the evening of Saturday, April 19th.
Passover 2026 begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 1st and ends the evening of Thursday, April 9th for most Jews in diaspora. Jews in the land of Israel and some Reform Jews in diaspora will end Passover on the evening of Wednesday, April 8th.
Help us keep Jewish knowledge accessible to millions of people around the world.
Your donation to My Jewish Learning fuels endless journeys of Jewish discovery. With your help, My Jewish Learning can continue to provide nonstop opportunities for learning, connection and growth.
Passover 2027 begins at sundown on Thursday, April 21st and ends the evening of Friday, April 22nd for most Jews in diaspora. Jews in the land of Israel and some Reform Jews in diaspora will end Passover on the evening of Thursday, April 21st.
Passover 2028 begins at sundown on Monday, April 10th and ends the evening of Tuesday, April 18th for most Jews in diaspora. Jews in the land of Israel and some Reform Jews in diaspora will end Passover on the evening of Monday, April 17th.
What is Passover?
Passover is a festival of freedom.
It commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt, and their transition from slavery to freedom. The main ritual of Passover is the seder, which occurs on the first two night (in Israel just the first night) of the holiday — a festive meal that involves the re-telling of the Exodus through stories and song and the consumption of ritual foods, including matzah and maror (bitter herbs). The seder’s rituals and other readings are outlined in the Haggadah — today, many different versions of this Passover guide are available in print and online, and you can also create your own.
What are some Passover practices?
The central Passover practice is a set of intense dietary changes, mainly the absence of hametz, or foods with leaven. (Ashkenazi Jews also avoid kitniyot, a category of food that includes legumes.) In recent years, many Jews have compensated for the lack of grain by cooking with quinoa, although not all recognize it as kosher for Passover. The ecstatic cycle of psalms called Hallel is recited both at night and day (during the seder and morning prayers). Additionally, Passover commences a 49-day period called the Omer, which recalls the count between offerings brought to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. This count culminates in the holiday of Shavuot, the anniversary of the receiving of the Torah at Sinai.
What foods do we eat on Passover?
Matzah, or unleavened bread, is the main food of Passover. You can purchase it in numerous stores, or you can make your own. But the holiday has many traditional, popular foods, from haroset (a mixture of fruit, nuts, wine, and cinnamon) to matzah ball soup — and the absence of leavening calls upon a cook to employ all of his/her culinary creativity. View our extensive collection of Passover recipes here, or check out The Nosher.
