Passover, Most Beloved Jewish Holiday, Explained

USA TODAY
By Lauren Markoe

Simon Schama hosts a seder or Passover meal. (Photo: Tim Kirby, Oxford Film & Television)

Passover is the most celebrated of all Jewish holidays with more than 70% of Jewish Americans taking part in a seder, its ritual meal. Here’s your guide to the basics of the holiday, which begins at sundown Friday — plus some lesser-known facts that explain why this celebration of liberation lies at the center of Jewish belief and tradition. The youngest person at a Passover seder chants or recites — in Hebrew, English, Yiddish or another language — the Four Questions. The four are introduced by a preliminary question: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” The questions and their answers explain the symbolism of the food and rituals associated with the seder. [link]

Passover 2016 begins in the evening of Friday, April 22 and ends in the evening of Saturday, April 30