Kosher for Passover

In two weeks we will have Passover, Easter, Noah's birthday and the Masters all in the same week. Now, being from a mixed family in the south- it's hard to determine which is more important- Passover, Easter or the Masters....

I am just kidding of course but we do seemed to get pulled in a lot of directions in April. Now being the Catholic, I know the importance of Easter and in how many ways it's bigger than Christmas- which can sometimes also be said about the Masters- but I wasn't so familiar with Passover. After getting unsatisfactory answers from my husband about the importance of Passover and where it ranks among the holidays, I decided to do a little of my own research. Really I wanted to know why they always seem to fall so closely (in other words was I going to have to deal with a collision of major holidays every year)....Here's the skinny (as best as a Southern Shiksa can understand) on Easter, Passover and how they are related and the Masters.

Passover is the celebration of the Jews being freed from Egyptian slavery (and after surviving the plagues). It lasts 8 days and is celebrated with a Seder that includes- asking the three questions, a Seder plate (with an egg, bitter herbs, and lamb shank to name a few), gefilte fish (no thank you) reading from the Haggadah and the kids finding the afikomen. Observant Jews won't eat anything that rises (because when the Jews were leaving Egypt, they didn't have time to let the bread rise before they had to go) which is why they eat matzoh.

Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. The Last Supper, recognized on Holy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter) was a Passover Seder. Catholics use the 40 days before Easter- Lent- as a time to repent and cleanse our selves for the coming of Christ. As Catholics we don't read the Bible as enthusiastically as other denominations so I can't say for sure where Lent is mentioned. Maybe I can tackle that next year. There is also some linkage to Easter being related to a pagan Roman holiday celebrating Spring and new life which is where the bunnies and eggs come from- in case you were wondering what Jesus would have done with all of that pastel Easter grass. Notable foods include peeps, chocolate bunnies and ham (none of which are as symbolic as the Jewish foods).

Passover is based on the Jewish calendar and Easter is based on the vernal equinox. However they seem to fall around the same time every year. To make it even more confusing- the Eastern Christians have a different calculation than the Western Christians which is why you will see different dates on the calendar.

The Masters starts the Wednesday before the first Sunday of April which means it's right in there with Easter, Passover and the big holiday in our house Noah's birthday. Notable traditions include mojitos (while watching at home) chicken sandwiches- famous on the course and wearing your favorite Masters logoed item- the older the better.

Both holidays are marked with family feasts and celebrations which is a okay in my book and both will usually be dates that we work around for Noah's birthday. Now if I could just get them to move the Masters.