Passover

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

The Occasion of our Freedom

The Jews eat the Passover Seder meal on the night of Passover (Pesach). It makes little difference whether Passover begins on Shabbat or on a weekday. Note that there are festive meals on every Shabbat, but they are not called "seder" and the foods are different.

In the seder meal the parsly, or other type of bitter herb, represents the bitter taste of slavery and affliction. In some homes parsley is used because it looks similar to a flail.

Gratitude to God. 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.

The first plague was all the water of the egyptians water to blood so the king would let gods people go, but they refused. The second was frogs everywhere, including in their beds. Third was gnats and/or lice but still they refused. Every time he (the king of Egypt) refused god added a then further plague. the fourth was flies roaming, the 5th was livestock became diseased and so the king agreed, only then to change his mind. so then came the 6th, which was boils. the 7th plague was continuous thunder and hail which flattened all of their crops. locusts was the 8th plague and darkness was the 9th and the final was the death of the first born of every Egyptian family. the king the agreed to let the leave, so to celebrate, gods people had the first passover meal and left. but the king planned to steal them back just as they was approaching the river nile the saw them. moses prayed to god and he parted the water and brought it back so the king couldn't get them - by Jayme 12yrs old :)

One of the "appatizer" courses of the traditional Seder meal is a green vegetable (frequently parseley, but I suppose lettuce would do) dipped in salt water. Tradition holds that the salt water represents the tears of the Hebrew slaves. This fits into one of the main purposes of the Seder ritual, to recall and to some extent relive the experience of liberation from slavery.

Matza goes great with many things. My personal favorites are Matza with cream cheese, cream cheese and jellie, and Matza with cheese cooked onto it. Be aware, however, that on Passover some don't put spreads on their matza - called gebrukts, because there might be some flour that didn't get mixed with water, and the spread will make it become chametz.

For the Catholics Christian. it is very important because a better knowledge of the Jewish people's faith and religious life as professed and lived even now can help our better understanding of certain aspects of Christian liturgy.

For both Jews and Christians Sacred Scripture is an essential part of their respective liturgies: in the proclamation of the Word of God, the response to this word, prayer of praise and intercession for the living and the dead, invocation of God's mercy. In its characteristic structure the Liturgy of the Word originates in Jewish prayer.

The Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical texts and formulation, as well as those of our most venerable prayers, including the Lord's Prayer, have parallels in Jewish prayer. The Eucharistic Prayers also draw their inspiration from the Jewish tradition. The relationship between Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy, but also their differences in content, are particularly evident in the great feasts of the liturgical year, such as Passover. Christians and Jews both celebrate the Passover.

For Jews, it is the Passover of history, tending toward the future; for Christians, it is the Passover fulfilled in the death and Resurrection of Christ, though always in expectation of its definitive consummation.

Passover is a Jewish and Samaritan celebration of the Hebrews' escape from bondage in Egypt. In the book of Exodus, in the bible, God sent ten plagues among Pharoah and the Egyptians to get Pharaoah to free the Hebrews. On the tenth plague, God warned the killing of the first born child of every home, with the exception of the Hebrews' home with the blood of a lamb spread on their doorpost. That night, God sent his holy spirit, and the homes with the blood of the lamb on the doorposts were passed over, creating the term passover. As a result, Pharoah freed the Hebrews.

Yes. His Last Supper was at the time of year at which Passover is celebrated.

uh, isn't that Jewish? @______@

Yes, but it should be labeled as having had Rabbinical supervision for consumption during Passover.

A guest can bring anything that is not Chametz; meaning that if something is food or drink it needs to have a reliable "Kosher for Passover" certification. A Kosher for Passover bottle of wine is appropriate if you can be sure it has a reliable Kosher for Passover certification. Food is tricky as some Kosher for Passover foods may be considered "not Kosher for Passover" by certain families, depending on their ingredients. Flowers may be frowned upon by certain hosts, as some have the custom of not putting flowers on a Passover table. Non-edibles (like tablecloths, clocks, glasses, vases, books and picture frames) are popular. Toys that are battery operated need to be given before the holiday starts; before sunset. Writing instruments and gift vouchers also need to be given before the Holiday starts.

A kiddish cup is an ornate cup used to hold wine being blessed. There is not a specific kiddish cup for Passover.

The story of Passover is told in the old testament of the Bible, Exodus. I do not believe the new testament has a counterpart.

According to the OU website they are not

Passover celebrates the Exodus.

It symbolizes the Korban Pesach - the Sheep sacrifice that was brought at the time of the Temple.

Woodchuck cider is not certified kosher so religiously observant Jews would not drink it at any time of the year. It cannot be drunk during Passover.

We eat everything except leavened products. Not only matzah. But the Question meant to ask: of all types of baked goods, why do we eat only matzah. And the answer is that it is a Torah-command (Exodus ch.12), in commemoration of the unleavened matzah which our ancestors ate on the night before they left Egypt (ibid).See also the Related Link.
More about Passover and the Seder meal

It symbolizes life.

There is only one country which would consider Passover to be a national celebration, and that is Israel. However, there are many other countries in which Jews celebrate Passover.

The oldest family member is supposed to read the story of the Exodus during the seder. For the meal part, the oldest man is responsible for reciting certain blessings.

Kosher grocery stores.

Moses escaped Egypt as a fugitive, on his own. Roughly 40 years later, he led

a multitude of a few million or so Jews out of Egypt when Pharaoh, after much

fruitless coaxing, suddenly turned around and begged them to leave.

There was never any celebration to commemorate Moses' escape.

But the mass departure, known as the 'Exodus', has been commemorated

during the Jewish festival of Passover every year since it happened, and is

also recalled in Jewish prayer on every day of the year.