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Falls on Jewish Date: 15 Nisan, second seder night on 16th. Dates shown above are the first two days of Pesach. The first seder takes place on the evening before the first day. Pesach lasts for eight days with the last two also being observed as Holy Days.
Pesach begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Shavu'ot and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season in Israel, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday. The primary observances of Pesach are related to the Exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery. This story is told in Exodus, Ch. 1-15. Many of the Pesach observances are instituted in Chs. 12-15. The name
"Pesach" (PAY-sahch, with a "ch" as in the Scottish "loch") comes from the
Hebrew root Peh-Samech-Chet Probably the most significant observance related to Pesach involves the removal of chametz (leaven; sounds like "hum it's" with that Scottish ch) from our homes. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) from our souls. Chametz includes anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt) that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes after coming into contact with water. Orthodox Jews of Ashkenazi background also avoid rice, corn, peanuts, and legumes (beans) as if they were chametz. All of these items are commonly used to make bread, thus use of them was prohibited to avoid any confusion. Such additional items are referred to as "kitniyot." The grain product we eat during Pesach is called matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. This is the bread that the Jews made for their flight from Egypt. We have come up with many inventive ways to use matzah; it is available in a variety of textures for cooking: matzah flour (finely ground for cakes and cookies), matzah meal (coarsely ground, used as a bread crumb substitute), matzah farfel (little chunks, a noodle or bread cube substitute), and full-sized matzahs (about 10 inches square, a bread substitute). The day before Pesach is the Fast of the Firstborn, a minor fast for all firstborn males, commemorating the fact that the firstborn Jewish males in Egypt were not killed during the final plague. On the
first night of Pesach (first two nights for traditional Jews outside Israel), we
have a special family meal filled with ritual to remind us of the significance
of the holiday. This meal is called a seder
Pesach lasts for seven days (eight days outside of Israel). The first and last days of the holiday (first two and last two outside of Israel) are days on which no work is permitted. Work is permitted on the intermediate days. These intermediate days on which work is permitted are referred to as Chol Ha-Mo'ed, as are the intermediate days of Sukkot. Pesach is also known as the Passover and celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt. The seder service on the first two nights recounts the story of the Exodus. Reviewed 15-Apr-2005
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meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare. It refers to the
fact that G-d "passed over" the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the
firstborn of Egypt. In English, the holiday is known as Passover. "Pesach" is
also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple
on this holiday. The holiday is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv
,
(the Spring Festival), Chag
ha-Matzoth 
, (the Festival of
Matzahs), and Z'man Cherutenu
,
(the Time of Our Freedom) (again, all with those Scottish "ch"s). 
, from a Hebrew root word meaning
"order," because there is a specific set of information that must be discussed
in a specific order.