Passover Tradition

The following is from a student partaking in Passover: “Well, last night I went home for the second night of Passover. And, uh, I was there with my cousins and my parents. We have a tradition, um, each year where we sign a pillowcase with our date, initials, and a message. Uh, if you’re not familiar with Passover, you’re supposed to recline for the holidays. Basically the Jews were enslaved in Egypt, and God picked Moses to lead them to freedom in Israel – so they are no longer working slaves, they can relax and recline. I’m not sure who started the traditions, but it goes back to before I was born. I think other families do this as well, but I’m not sure. The message is like something that was big that year – just like a general, big event that you’d want to mark. It would be something from the very recent past or immediately upcoming future.”

This demonstrates that which is valued by the individuals partaking in the tradition and their relationship with those who were a part of it before. It acts as a connecting factor with the past, the performance aspect legitimizing the celebration and in doing so enabling those now to feel a part of the struggles felt by their people so many years ago.