Passover
Passover celebrates the liberation of the Jews from pharaonic slavery and their exodus from Egypt. The story, from II. Moses tells of the Israelites’ suffering, of their hasty departure with Pharao's army in hot pursuit, of their wandering through the desert as well as the plagues inflicted by God on the Egyptians.
Passover takes place in the spring and begins with a seder: a long, ritualized meal. Family and friends read from the Haggadah, which recounds the story of the holiday; they sing and eat. Passover is also called the "celebration of unleavened bread:" in memory of the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt, they are forbidden to eat and drink leavened food and beverages for seven days.