The seder plate itself isn't a symbol, it holds the symbolic items for the seder though.
Some say it just holds the special items and has no specific meaning of its own. Others say that the dish represents Malchut (God's kingship).
The seder plate. See also:More about the Seder
It is set on the table during the Passover seder (the first and second nights of passover).
during a passover seder.
seder plate
seder plate
the seder plate is an important part of it
The Seder Plate is a special plate for holding the symbolic foods used during the seder. Pieces of the symbolic foods are distributed to everyone during the course of the seder. Traditionally, the person leading the seder is the only one with a Seder Plate. However if there are many guests, additional Seder Plates can also be set on the table.
we call it the seder plate
The Seder plate is a special plate used during the Passover Seder meal in Jewish tradition. It holds symbolic foods that represent various elements of the Exodus story and the Jewish people's journey to freedom. Common items on the Seder plate include bitter herbs, a roasted shank bone, a mixture of fruits and nuts, and a boiled egg.
Anyone who is hosting a Passover Seder (the ritual dinner on the first two nights of Passover), would have a Seder plate. It's usually placed in the center of the dinner table. It is a special plate containing symbolic foods eaten and displayed during the Passover Seder. The foods are arranged on the plate has special significance to the retelling of the story of the exodus from Egypt, which is the focus of the Seder. There are 6 ritual items, five of them are on the Seder Plate: • Bitter herbs, symbolizing the bitterness of slavery, which the Hebrews endured in Egypt. • A sweet mixture of chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, and sweet wine called "Charoset", represents the mortar used by the Jewish slaves in building Egypt. • A vegetable, usually Parsley or Endive , which is dipped into salt water to represent the tears of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. • A roasted lamb or shankbone, chicken wing, or chicken neck; symbolizing the Passover sacrifice, which was a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem. This item is not eaten. • A hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the mourning of the destruction of the Temple and our inability to offer any kind of sacrifices in honor of the Passover holiday today. (eggs are the first thing served to mourners after a funeral) • The sixth ritual food is Matzos, which is placed on a separate plate. There are many decorative and artistic Seder Plates, but any plate large enough to hold all the ritual food items can be used.
There is only one ceremonial plate; other than that, everyone present at the seder has a plate for the normal purpose of holding their food. Depending upon how many people are at the seder, this can be lots of plates.
The holiday of Passover officially begins on the evening of Monday, March 25th (in 2013). Most people who celebrate Passover will have a seder either on the 25th or the 26th.