This holiday is celebrated to commemorate the salvation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.
The unique about this holiday is the liberation of a people from slavery and it is also connected with other unique religious event – getting the Torah – God’s Ten Commandments.
In the beginning , the Passover was celebrated seven days, but because of the imprecision of the old Jewish calendar, the new custom was approved. Namely, in the Galut (Diaspora), the Passover is celebrated eight days on an annual basis from 15th to 22nd Nisan, where the first and the last two days are full holidays, the other four are considered half holidays.
Passover is a holiday that marks the longest continuously in the world, for more than 2,500 years ago. In Sarajevo, Jews marked Passover first time 450 years ago when they came to BiH.
This holiday is also called the Spring Festival and the Holiday of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
The exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses and the receiving of the Ten Commandments from God, was the turning point when Israel began to adhere to monotheistic worship and abandoned paganism.
Forty arduous years of wandering in the desert ultimately lead to the unification of the tribes arriving in Canaan, and the later establishment of the first Kingdom of Israel.
The Talmud states that neither the preparation or consumption of food is allowed using dishes that have been used during the year. In some families the whole house is whitewashed before the holy days.
The atmosphere in Jewish families on the eve of Passover is extraordinary. In Israel, they pay a lot of attention to this holiday, and preparations last for days.
At the holiday table, there will be roast poultry, fruit, salads and most importantly macot – unleavened bread, as well as bitter herbs to remind them of the hard life in Egyptian slavery.
Macot is the main characteristic of this holiday. It is a special kind of stretched bread which is made only of flour and water, and stirred continuously so that it cannot rise at all. It can be made mechanically or manually.
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