• Passover, a major Jewish holiday, begins at sundown on April 12 and ends after nightfall on April 20.
• Traditional Passover celebrations include the Seder, a ritual meal with symbolic foods.
• Several community Passover events are planned in Binghamton this year.

Passover begins this weekend, and you may be wondering why, and how, the holiday is celebrated.

Passover, the most observed holiday in the Jewish faith, is known as Pesach in Hebrew, and lasts for a week.

The holiday has close ties to the Biblical character of Moses, who was responsible for ultimately leading the Jewish people out of captivity in Egypt. The holiday carries a message of freedom and liberation.

Here’s what to know about Passover in 2025, and how the holiday will be marked in Binghamton this year.

More: Why is Easter so late this year? What to know about date, events in Binghamton

When is Passover 2025?

Passover 2025 will begin at sundown on April 12 and ends after nightfall on April 20 in the United States.

The first Passover Seder, the traditional meal on Passover, will take place on the evening of April 12, the second Seder taking place on the second evening, April 13.

Is Passover late this year?

Last year, Passover began at sundown on April 22 and ended at sundown April 30, so the holiday isn’t late this year.

Why does the date of Passover move?

The date for Passover is based on the Hebrew lunar-based calendar. It always falls on the 15th day of the month of Nissan, which is the first full moon after the spring equinox.

What is Passover?

Passover is a holiday in the Jewish faith celebrating the ancient Hebrews’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. For decades, the Jews had been slaves of the Egyptian pharaohs until Moses led them out of captivity, according to Chabad.org.

The Old Testament of the Bible states it was God who sent Moses to Israel to lead the Hebrews out of captivity.

In the Bible, Moses visited Pharaoh several times while the Jews were in captivity, telling him to let his people go. Moses warned Pharaoh that Egypt would feel God’s wrath if he ignored the warnings, but Pharaoh ignored them anyway.

The Bible states that as a result, God unleashed 10 plagues against Egypt and its people. The plagues included:

• Blood: Bodies of water in Egypt turned to blood.
• Frogs: Frogs rained from the sky.
• Lice: An infestation of lice.
• Wild beasts: Evil creatures that could harm humans and animals.
• Cattle disease: Disease upon the land’s source of meat
• Boils: A disease.
• Hail: Ice from the sky.
• Locusts: An infestation of the insects.
• Darkness
• The slaying of the first-born sons of Egypt: The Bible explains that after ignoring all of Moses’ warnings, God killed all of the first-born sons of all the Egyptian families in the land. Chabad.org explained, while God killed all the Egyptian firstborn sons, he spared the Jewish people, “passing over” their homes. That’s how the holiday got its name.

How is Passover traditionally celebrated?

Jews around the globe typically celebrate Passover by holding a Seder each night of the holiday. A Seder is a meal that recognizes many of the aspects of the Jews’ time in slavery and exodus from Egypt.

A traditional Seder plate includes:

• Matzoh: A large, flat cracker representing the “unleavened” bread the Hebrews had to eat as they had no time to let the bread rise as they escaped Egypt.
• Lamb shank: Represents the lamb sacrificed before the exodus from Egypt “and annually on the afternoon before Passover in the Holy Temple” in Jerusalem, according to Chabad.org.
• Hard-boiled egg: This represents “the pre-holiday offering that was brought in the days of the Holy Temple,” Chabad.org said.
• Bitter herbs: These are on the Seder plate to signify the bitter tears the Hebrews cried while they were enslaved. Usually, horseradish is used as the “bitter herbs” on the traditional Seder plate.
• Charoset: A paste-like mix of apples, pears, nuts and wine that is on the Seder plate to represent the mortar and brick the Hebrews used during slavery.
• Parsley: This herb is supposed to signify the hard toiling the Hebrews had to endure under Pharaoh. It is typically dipped in salt water and then eaten. The saltwater is supposed to represent the tears the Hebrews cried during slavery.

What is one of the most famous historical Passover Seders?

According to the New Testament, Jesus’ last supper was a Passover Seder. Jesus was a Jew when he was crucified. After the crucifixion, the Christian religion eventually became more widespread.

Passover celebrations in Binghamton in 2025

Temple Concord, a Jewish congregation in Binghamton, will be holding a community Seder, featuring either a fish or vegetarian dinner.

• Where: 9 Riverside Drive, Binghamton.
• When: Sunday, April 13.

The Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Like at Binghamton University is holding a Seder for BU students, which includes a service prior to the Seder, Passover traditions and songs and a brisket dinner.

• Where: 420 Murray Hill Road, Binghamton.
• When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, April 12. A service will be held prior to the dinner at 8 p.m.