5 Etiquette to be Followed by Guests at Passover Seder

During the spring season, Passover Seder is celebrated by Jewish people. Passover or Pesach (Hebrew name) is celebrated because at this time the Jewish ancestors liberate themselves from Egyptian monarch slavery. During the time of Passover, they organize a special dinner known as Seder on the first night of the holiday. The family members get together at one place for Seder and honor this occasion.

During this Jewish holiday, the meal is served at the family table and you do not need to go to the formal setting of the synagogue. Nowadays, Jews have started celebrating Seder out of the town. Thus, the passover programs operators make arrangements for the Seder. When you are invited to Seder, then it is imperative to follow some rules and regulations. Here, in this article, we are going to discuss various tips for being great at Passover Seder.

1. Bring Gift For Passover Seder Host

As someone has invited you to dinner, therefore, you should not forget to carry a gift for the Seder host. While choosing the gift, you should keep few things in your mind.

• You should always choose a gift that can express appreciation for hospitality.
• It is important to ensure that your gift is as per the occasion. That means you should choose kosher for Passover. But it is imperative to know the difference between “kosher” and “kosher for Passover.”
• While choosing a gift, you should double-check the ingredients and make sure that it is not comprised of yeast and wheat. You should check the sign of kosher certification on food items. Only purchase certified items to assure that they are kosher. We recommend you buy a fruit tray, kosher wine, flower bouquet, Passover book, and many more.

2. Eat Some Snacks Before Arriving

Passover Seder is not just like various other dinners. During Seder, hosts and guests have to follow various rules and regulations. The Seder starts with the recitation of prayers and blessings. It means that food will not be served immediately.

This is a good idea to have a small bite of protein before arriving at the house of the host’s place, especially if you are taking your kids with you. It will help to calm down craving and you can enjoy the Seder rituals.

3. Do Not Touch Seder Plat

On the dinner table, the Seder plate is the main focus point. Usually, the Seder plate is placed in the middle of the table. This plate is comprised of six different items: zeroa, beitzah, maror, karpas, charoset, and hazeret. The food items places on the Seder plate are symbolic. The different food items symbolize a different aspect of Passover.

For instance, beitzah or egg symbolizes spring and the circle of life. The host of the Seder will distribute certain items from the Seder plate to the guests on the dinner table. But you should not take anything from the Seder plate on your own unless the leader of Seder instructs you.

4. Read Story From Haggadah

You are going to be part of Seder- special Passover dinner. Know a little bit about the rituals that you have to follow. You should know that reading the story of Exodus from Egypt from Haggadah is a ritual of Passover Seder. As you are going to be part of Seder, therefore, you should get ready for reading the story. You should bring your gasses with you if required.

Haggadah is a Jewish booklet that describes the rules to be followed during the Seder. This book is filled with rituals to be followed, traditional songs, and Exodus stories. During Seder, guests may also be asked for reading passages from Haggadah. Haggadah is in the Hebrew language, but the English translation is also available. Thus, people who cannot read Hebrew can easily read it without any problem.

5. Ready To Drink Kosher Wine Or Grapes Juice

During the course of Seder, every guest will have four glasses of wine. Every glass of wine indicates the freedom of ancient Jews freedom from four different exiles: The Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek exiles, and current exile. Therefore, it is recommended that you should not drink before starting Seder. Also. You should request for drink or beer at the table before starting Seder.

You have to drink these four glasses of wine only when instructed by the host. During Seder, only kosher items are allowed. Thus, beer or any other drink made up from grain is not kosher and not allowed during the time of Passover. People who do not drink or under the age of 21 should request grape juice. They can have grape juice in place of four cups of wine.

Final Words

If someone has invited you to Seder, then you should consider implementing the above-mentioned four points. Also, we recommend you do a little research before arriving at the host’s place.