Seder
The ritual Passover meal that retells the story of the Exodus.
Also: passover seder
The seder, meaning order, is the Jewish meal held on the first night or first two nights of Passover. Families read the Haggadah, the story of the Exodus from Egypt, in a set order, with four cups of wine, a plate of symbolic foods and the questions asked by the youngest child. The plate holds a shank bone, an egg, bitter herbs, charoset, a green vegetable and salt water, each recalling an element of the story. Matzah is eaten in place of bread. The meal includes songs and a door opened for the prophet Elijah. The seder is a teaching evening as well as a feast.
Region: Middle East