The eight-day religious celebration symbolizes the Jewish people’s freedom from slavery and exile in Egypt in 1300 BCE.

Passover also is known as “Pesach,” a Hebrew word pronounced “pay-sock,” which means “to pass over” or “to spare.”

Passover is the oldest continuously celebrated Jewish festival.

Holiday History

God commanded Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, but when Moses asked the ruling pharaoh to free the people, the pharaoh refused.

God then sent 10 plagues upon the Egyptians, the last of which was a vow to send an angel of the Lord to every Egyptian home to kill the first-born son. Israelites were told to mark their doors with the blood of slaughtered lambs so that the plague would “pass over” them and spare their sons.

After the plague, the pharaoh ordered the Israelites to leave Egypt immediately. The Jewish people left in such haste that the bread they were baking had no time to rise. They packed the dough to take with them on their journey, and as they crossed the desert, they baked the dough in the hot sun, which yielded hard crackers called matzos.

The pharaoh later changed his mind and sent his army to capture the Israelites. Trapped at the shore of the Red Sea, Moses called on God's power to part the sea. The Israelites passed through before the sea crashed in and drowned the army.