What is Passover? Here’s what to know about the Jewish holiday

Passover, one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays in the world, begins Wednesday at sundown, and this year it coincides with Christian Holy Week, which runs from Palm Sunday on March 29 through Easter on April 5.

Known in Hebrew as “Pesach,” Passover is an eight-day celebration commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Families mark the holiday with ceremonial dinners, symbolic foods and the retelling of a foundational story of faith and freedom.

What is the story behind Passover?

The Passover story, rooted in the Torah, begins with the Israelites living as slaves under an Egyptian pharaoh who feared their growing numbers and subjected them to brutal conditions. God called upon Moses — an Israelite who had been raised in Pharaoh’s palace after being found as an infant floating in the Nile by Pharaoh’s daughter — to demand the release of his people.

When Pharaoh refused, God visited 10 plagues upon Egypt: blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, cattle disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and, finally, the killing of every Egyptian firstborn. During that last plague, God spared the Israelite households, “passing over” homes whose doorposts had been marked with lamb’s blood — giving the holiday its name.

Pharaoh relented, and the Israelites fled Egypt in such haste that the bread they had prepared did not have time to rise. Moses later led them across the parted Red Sea before Pharaoh’s pursuing army could catch them.

When is Passover in 2026?

Passover begins before sundown Wednesday, and ends after nightfall on Thursday, April 9.

The holiday always falls during the Hebrew month of Nisan, which corresponds to March or April on the Gregorian calendar. While the Torah calls for a seven-day observance, most Jews outside Israel celebrate for eight days — a tradition dating to around 700-600 B.C.E., when an extra day was added as a safeguard against calendar errors caused by the use of mountaintop bonfires to signal holidays’ beginnings.

How is Passover celebrated?

The holiday centers on the Seder, a ceremonial dinner held on the first two nights of Passover in the United States. Participants eat symbolic foods — including matzah, the unleavened flatbread recalling the Israelites’ hurried departure; bitter herbs; egg; and wine or grape juice — while reciting from the Haggadah, a text that tells the detailed story of the Exodus.

Before Passover begins, families conduct a thorough cleaning of their homes to remove “chametz” — any leavened grain product, such as bread. The night before the holiday, they search for any remaining chametz, which is then burned.

The final two days of Passover commemorate the parting of the Red Sea and are observed with additional prayers, Torah study and, for some, relaxed rules around leavened foods. Families from North Africa and the Middle East often follow Passover with the Mimouna, a festive celebration featuring lights and a communal feast.

Some observers also refrain from working, driving, writing or using electronic devices during portions of the holiday, depending on their level of observance.

How do you greet someone on Passover?

Common greetings include “Chag Sameach” (“happy holiday” in Hebrew), “Chag Pesach Sameach” (“Happy Passover“) and the Yiddish “Gut Yuntiff” (“Good Yom Tov,” or “good day”). In English-speaking countries, “Kosher and Joyous Passover” is a standard greeting.