Should you ever be invited to attend a Passover meal, which, given the level of debate about whether it’s ok to do so or not for the Jews holding it, seems unlikely what you will see, eat and do? The Passover is a deeply significant celebration and festival of remembrance for people of the Jewish faith. It is the one part of the religion that all tend to observe both in Israel and the wider world. Therefore, if you should be so honoured with an invitation it’s best to be prepared for what is going to be put in front of you.
The first thing you will have is where Seder Plates, like those from cazenovejudaica.com/uk/seder-plate, are placed in front of everyone. These highly symbolic plates have allocated spaces of the food you are going to eat in order and at specific times. You do not simply start.
The items on the Seder plate are as follows. A lamb shank bone, a hard-boiled egg that has been roasted, a sprig of Parsley, horseradish, Charoset (a sweet mixture of fruit and nuts and raw onion. Sanctified wine is also served but only drunk at certain points. All of these foods have deep meaning. The Parsley, onion and Horseradish are meant to symbolise the bitter tears the Jews have shed. The lamb shank is to remember the night of the passover whereas the Charoset is illustrative of the mortar used by the Jews to build Egypt at the time, a great achievement. The egg is for rebirth.
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