Passover

Passover is a spring festival celebrated by Jewish people that also celebrates freedom. It's the deliverance of Jews from 400 years
of slavery by the Egyptians at the time of Moses. The Jews were freed of slavery after Moses (who was adopted by the Egyptian
royal family as an infant after being found in a reed basket in the River Nile) helped them by commanding the Pharaoh to let the
Jews go. However, the Pharaoh refused and as a result, 10 plagues fell upon Egypt but it was 10th and last one which saw all first
born Egyptians die, including his son (who was also Moses' nephew) while Jews were saved by having Iambs blood on the doors.
In fact, it was the death of the firstborn Egyptians and the lambs blood on Jewish doorways is where Passover gets its name from
the Hebrew word Pesach. As the Jews (referred to as Israelites in the Torah and the Bible) fled, Egyptian forces took chase of
them until Moses held out his staff and God parted the Red Sea for the Jews. After the Jews had crossed it, God resumed the Red
Sea's flow as the Egyptian forces came into contact with their path and washed them away to an unexpected watery graves.
Passover is one of the most beloved and oldest of all Jewish festivals. In Israel, Passover is celebrated for seven days while in the
Diaspora, it is celebrated for 8 days. The date for Passover changes every year because the Jewish calendar is tied to the solar and
lunar cycles but it traditionally starts on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan which is always a full moon.
Today, Passover is celebrated every year in a Thanksgiving like atmosphere but with abstaining from consuming foods like bread
and other leavened foods in favour of eating unleavened matzah to commemorate the hardships of the flight from Egypt.
Symbolic foods are placed on the Passover Seder plate. There are also special prayer services and abstention from work.