passover

Passover begins at sundown

Passover, the Jewish festival commemorating the release of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, begins at sunset tonight.The eight-day holiday is celebrated on the first two nights with a meal called the seder.
Focal points of the seder include eating bitter herbs to commemorate the bitterness of slavery, drinking four cups of wine or grape juice to celebrate freedom and recitation of the Haggadah, a liturgy that describes the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
During the eight days of passover, Jews refrain from eating leavened bread, replacing it with matzoh to commemorate the unleavened bread the Israelites ate in their hurried flight from Egypt.