Hello, Pointe-Claire peeps (the people, not the famous colourful treat)! Hope this finds you all well – and a little bit silly, of course!
For my Bonnie’s Babble article this month, seeing that both the Jewish holiday of Passover and the Christian Easter holiday fall in April this year, I thought it would be interesting to compare them both. This year, Passover starts on the evening of Saturday, April 12th and Good Friday falls on April 18th.
Passover (called Pesach in Hebrew and pronounced with a throat-clearing noise at the end) remembers the freeing of the Israelites from slavery and celebrates the Exodus from Egypt, while Easter commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In both Hebrew and English, the name for the Jewish holiday of Passover originates with the 10th and most punitive plague God brought down upon Egypt, when the firstborn male Israelites were spared by the Angel of Death, who passed over their homes.
The Passover seder (pronounced “sey-der,” meaning “order”– and believe me, there are very elaborate rituals involved, performed in sequence) is a feast celebrated on the first two nights of the holiday. Families gather to read, pray, and sing songs from the Haggadah (a book retelling the story of the Exodus) and eat A LOT, all while drinking FOUR GLASSES of wine. And did I mention that many households manage to do this in HEBREW? Even if they don’t understand a word! Tradition!
Easter, on the other hand, commemorates Jesus Christ's resurrection, an event that signifies hope and renewal, and is only observed for one day, on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the spring equinox. This year, Easter Sunday is on the 20th of April. An interesting fact is that Jesus was Jewish, and His Last Supper is considered to be some form of Passover meal by many people, while others point out discrepancies in the timeline. Either way, a feast was had!
And now for the food, and boy is there a lot of it! One of the more familiar foods you see at a seder is a hard-boiled egg, set in a specific position on a special plate, mainly as a symbol of remembrance of how Passover was celebrated in Temple times, and considered a symbol of both sacrifice and renewal. For Christians celebrating Easter, an egg is a symbol of new life, celebrating Christ’s resurrection. Whether it’s dyed eggs (check out this amazing Ukrainian tradition!), plain hard-boiled ones, or chocolate, there is no question that this serves as an honoured tradition for both Jews and Christians.
The Passover menu includes matzo (or matzah), a piece of unleavened bread resembling a cracker – a very tasteless and dry cracker – symbolizing the haste of the Jews when they fled Egypt, having no time to let their bread rise. However, a word of caution: One too many pieces of matzo can lead to the uncomfortable “11th plague”… constipation.
During Easter, and depending on one’s cultural origins, sweet braided bread is served, symbolic of Jesus Christ, his crucifixion, and resurrection. Also in the tradition of consuming delicious carbs, there are also hot cross buns, traditionally eaten on Good Friday, marking the end of Lent. And did I remember to mention Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday? The day before Lent begins is Pancake Day! A chance to eat all the rich and yummy food before giving up a particular pleasure for the next 40 days. And speaking of eggs, people also celebrate by enjoying chocolate eggs, solid, hollow, or filled, drawing on ancient pagan and Christian traditions symbolizing new life and rebirth.