The Seder Passover Festival

One of the most important ritual actions of theremained had the feast and took part in the
Passover festival is the Seder which takes placeactivities excluding the sacrifice of the animal. This
on the first night of the seven day. The Seder ismodel continued through the destruction of the
a meal that Jewish families partake of infirst temple to the time of the exile, return and
remembrance of the Exodus.building of the second temple
Before the reforms of King Josiah in 620 .B.C.EAfter the temple was destroyed the 2nd time,
the Passover feast was not all one meal.when the rabbinical period began, there was no
However, the holiday and eating of the sacrificialmore sacrifice, so this festival became more
lamb took place inside of individual homes asoriented towards the synagogue and individual
partakers spread blood over their door postshomes. Today, services are held at the
before eating the meal.synagogues and meals in homes which are
With the reforms of King Josiah all the male headselaborately decorated for this important event.
of homes were asked to bring an animal sacrificePassover is a holiday festival that starts on the
to the temple in Jerusalem for the specialfifteenth day of Nissan in the Jewish calendar;
occasion. The men would leave with some of thethen continues on until its end 6 days later. Nissan
meat with the priest then return home to partakelands sometime around March or April on the
of the rest of the Passover feast. As not all menChristian calendar. The Seder is on the first night
could travel to temple in Jerusalem, those whoof this spring calendrical event.