How is the Passover observed?

Answer 1

Passover is one of the three pilgrimage holidays mentioned in the Torah (Bible).

Observant Jews observe it for seven days in Israel, eight days outside of Israel.

There are many customs associated with the holiday, primarily not eating bread or other leavened products, celebrating at the Seder with the reading of the Hagaddah, going to synagogue on the first and last days (first two and last two outside of Israel), and refraining from working on those days.

Answer 2

For Judaism: During the Passover Seder meal:1. Kadesh - We take a cup of wine and pronounce the blessings on the wine and on the holiday of Passover.
2. Urchatz - We pour water over our hands (without reciting the usual handwashing blessing).
3. Karpas - We dip a small amount of vegetable in salt-water and then eat it (with the customary blessing).
4. Yachatz - We break the middle matzah (of the three matzot on the plate) into two pieces, leaving the smaller piece on the plate, and putting the larger piece aside for the afikoman.
The matzah that the narrative of the Exodus is recounted over must be broken, symbolizing the bondage that broke the body and spirit of our ancestors.
5. Maggid - Maggid begins with an invitation to join in the Seder and the posing of the Four Questions, whose answer sets the theme for the evening. We then recount the narrative of our bondage and Exodus from Egypt. This is the longest and the central part of the Seder. Its purpose is to relive God's redemption and to pass on the intense experience of to our families. At the conclusion of maggid, we recite a blessing and drink the second of the Four Cups of wine.
6. Rochtzah - We wash our hands in preparation for eating the matzah, reciting the customary blessing over the handwashing.
7. Motzi - We recite the blessings for the matzah and eat it.
8. Matzah - The matzah is eaten while reclining, indicating the royalty and splendor of the night in which we emerged from bondage to freedom.
9. Maror - We eat "bitter herbs" (customarily romaine lettuce or horseradish) to recall the bitterness of the Egyptian exile. Maror also alludes to the toil that a person must be ready to do in order to achieve Torah-growth.
10. Korekh - We eat a "sandwich" of matzah and bitter herbs.
The combination of the two is symbolic of the duality of the night, which recalls the bondage of Egypt together with the redemption that followed.
11. Shulchan Orekh - a festive meal is served in celebration of the night.
It is not enough to celebrate with words and thoughts. The celebration must reach the physical level too. Also, the meal teaches us that true freedom is the ability to sanctify the physical world.
12. Tzafun (lit. hidden) -The half matzah hidden at the beginning of the seder is the last food to be eaten in this night. The taste of matzah is to remain with us even after the Seder's conclusion. This suggests that Seder Night should make a continual impression on us, which should last throughout the year.
13. Barekh - We recite the Bircat HaMazon, grace after Meals.
Bircat HaMazon is followed by drinking the third of the Four Cups of wine.
14. Hallel - We sing the hallel, giving our thanks and praise to God.
As free individuals, it is incumbent on us to appreciate the Divine cause of our freedom.
Hallel is followed by the fourth and final cup of wine.
15. Nirtzah - The conclusion. A short prayer is said.

Pesach (Passover) is important to us since in it we relive the Exodus from Egypt and our birth as a nation, both of which were preparations for receiving the Torah from God.
The highlight of Passover is the Seder meal. This meal is of great importance in Judaism. It is a 3325-year old continuous tradition that began on the night of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exodus chapter 12), and is fully detailed in our ancient Oral Traditions (Talmud, chapter Arvei Pesachim).
The Seder meal is one of those occasions, like Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, that Jews all over the world, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, observe in common. During the Seder, we keep the essential mitzva and customs of handing Jewish traditions down to the next generation, with the traditional Seder foods and the ceremony of reading the Passover Haggadah which retells the events of the Exodus.
During the Seder meal, other traditional foods are eaten in addition to the matzah: bitter herbs, parsley, wine and haroset (see below). Salt water, a roasted egg, and a bit of roasted meat are also on the table.
During all the days of Passover, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten; while leavened foods such as bread, cake, cookies, cereal and pasta are forbidden. Certain prayers are added in the synagogue services, and the Torah is read each day.
Here is the symbolism of the items on the Seder plate:
The bitter herbs (maror) symbolize the harsh slavery which the Israelites suffered in Egypt. Either horseradish or romaine lettuce is traditionally used for maror.
Charoset - A sweet mixture representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. In Ashkenazi Jewish homes, charoset is traditionally made from chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, and sweet red wine.
Karpas - A vegetable other than bitter herbs, traditionally parsley, which is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder. The dipping of a simple vegetable into salt water (which represents tears) recalls the pain felt by the Jewish slaves in Egypt.
Beitzah - A hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night. Although both the Pesach sacrifice and the chagigah were meat offerings, the chagigah is commemorated by an egg, a symbol of mourning.
Z'roa - A roasted lamb or goat shank-bone, chicken wing, or chicken neck; symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, then roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.

Answer 3

Pesach (Passover) is important to us since in it we relive the Exodus from Egypt and our birth as a nation, both of which were preparations for receiving the Torah from God.
The highlight of Passover is the Seder meal. This meal is of great importance in Judaism. It is a 3325-year old continuoustradition that began on the night of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exodus chapter 12), and is fully detailed in our ancient Oral Traditions (Talmud, chapter Arvei Pesachim).
The Seder meal is one of those occasions, like Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, that Jews all over the world, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, observe in common. During the Seder, we keep the essential mitzva and customs of handing Jewish traditions down to the next generation, with the traditional Seder foods and the ceremony of reading the Passover Haggadah which retells the events of the Exodus.

1. Kadesh - We take a cup of wine and pronounce the blessings on the wine and on the holiday of Passover.
2. Urchatz - We pour water over our hands (without reciting the usual handwashing blessing).
3. Karpas - We dip a small amount of vegetable in salt-water and then eat it (with the customary blessing).
4. Yachatz - We break the middle matzah (of the three matzot on the plate) into two pieces, leaving the smaller piece on the plate, and putting the larger piece aside for the afikoman.
The matzah that the narrative of the Exodus is recounted over must be broken, symbolizing the bondage that broke the body and spirit of our ancestors.
5. Maggid - Maggid begins with an invitation to join in the Seder and the posing of the Four Questions, whose answer sets the theme for the evening. We then recount the narrative of our bondage and Exodus from Egypt. This is the longest and the central part of the Seder. Its purpose is to relive God's redemption and to pass on the intense experience of to our families. At the conclusion of maggid, we recite a blessing and drink the second of the Four Cups of wine.
6. Rochtzah - We wash our hands in preparation for eating the matzah, reciting the customary blessing over the handwashing.
7. Motzi - We recite the blessings for the matzah and eat it.
8. Matzah - The matzah is eaten while reclining, indicating the royalty and splendor of the night in which we emerged from bondage to freedom.
9. Maror - We eat "bitter herbs" (customarily romaine lettuce or horseradish) to recall the bitterness of the Egyptian exile. Maror also alludes to the toil that a person must be ready to do in order to achieve Torah-growth.
10. Korekh - We eat a "sandwich" of matzah and bitter herbs.
The combination of the two is symbolic of the duality of the night, which recalls the bondage of Egypt together with the redemption that followed.
11. Shulchan Orekh - a festive meal is served in celebration of the night.
It is not enough to celebrate with words and thoughts. The celebration must reach the physical level too. Also, the meal teaches us that true freedom is the ability to sanctify the physical world.
12. Tzafun (lit. hidden) -The half matzah hidden at the beginning of the seder is the last food to be eaten in this night. The taste of matzah is to remain with us even after the Seder's conclusion. This suggests that Seder Night should make a continual impression on us, which should last throughout the year.
13. Barekh - We recite the Bircat HaMazon, grace after Meals.
Bircat HaMazon is followed by drinking the third of the Four Cups of wine.
14. Hallel - We sing the hallel, giving our thanks and praise to God.
As free individuals, it is incumbent on us to appreciate the Divine cause of our freedom.
Hallel is followed by the fourth and final cup of wine.
15. Nirtzah - The conclusion. A short prayer is said.

During the Seder meal, traditional foods are eaten, along with the matzah: bitter herbs, parsley, wine and haroset (see below). Salt water, a roasted egg, and a bit of roasted meat are also on the table.
During all the days of Passover, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten; while leavened foods such as bread, cake, cookies, cereal and pasta are forbidden. Certain prayers are added in the synagogue services, and the Torah is read each day.
Here is the symbolism of the items on the Seder plate:
The bitter herbs (maror) symbolize the harsh slavery which the Israelites suffered in Egypt. Horseradish and/or romaine lettuce are traditionally used for maror.
Charoset - A sweet mixture representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. In Ashkenazi Jewish homes, charoset is traditionally made from chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, and sweet red wine.
Karpas - A vegetable other than bitter herbs, traditionally parsley, which is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder. The dipping of a simple herb into salt water (which represents tears) recalls the pain felt by the Israelite slaves in Egypt.
Beitzah - A hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night. Although both the Pesach sacrifice and the chagigah were meat-offerings, the chagigah is commemorated by an egg, a symbol of mourning.
Z'roa - A roasted lamb or goat shank-bone, chicken wing, or chicken neck; symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, then roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.

See also:

What is the importance of the Israelite Exodus?