Passover vs. Easter: Similarities and Differences

Passover and Easter share many similarities as they occur during the same time of the year, and some aspects of their celebrations are similar. They are, however, fundamentally different holidays. Passover is a Jewish holiday, whereas Easter is a Christian holiday. They are celebrated for different durations and for many different reasons.

Let's dive deeper into each of these holidays and compare some of their similarities and differences.

What Is Passover?

Passover, also known as Pesach, is a Jewish holiday celebrated from the 15th to the 21st/22nd of Nisan—the Jewish calendar. This year, it is from the 15th to the 23rd of April. The name is derived from the paschal lamb, which the Jews sacrificed in order to avoid the tenth plague.

Passover originates from the plagues in the bible and is celebrated for the liberation of Jewish slaves from Egypt. The tenth of the plagues would call for the death of every firstborn son, including that of livestock, when the angel of death passed over the homes of those living in Egypt. The exception was that if those who followed Christ were to sacrifice a lamb to God and rub the blood of that lamb over their doorways, the angel of death would pass over their homes without killing their firstborn son. This is where the name "Passover" comes from.

Within Israel, Passover is celebrated for seven days, while the rest of the world celebrates for eight. A fun bit of trivia is that it is believed that the rest of the world was unsure of when to start, so they threw in an extra day so that they wouldn't miss the celebrations. Pesach seder is a meal celebrated on the first day of Passover. Families gather to eat, drink wine, and pray. The word 'seder' means order, referring to the order detailed in the Haggadah—A Jewish text describing the order of the Passover celebration. Reading the Haggadah to your children is a vital part of the celebration, as the bible states:

What Is Easter?

Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating Christ's resurrection from his tomb. Easter is only observed for one day, on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the Spring equinox. This year, Easter Sunday falls on the 17th of April! Some people celebrate the Friday before as well.

There are many important dates around the time of Easter. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter and celebrates Jesus arriving in Jerusalem on a donkey and the welcoming crowds throwing palm leaves on the ground. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper(Jesus' last Pesach seder), a Passover meal that Jesus celebrated with his disciples. Good Friday remembers the day on which Christ was crucified, and Easter Sunday, of course, celebrates the resurrection of Christ.

The celebrations of Easter focus on the theme of spring and fertility. Motifs of bunnies and ducklings are often seen, as they symbolize the purity of spring. The tradition of the hollow chocolate egg represents the tomb from which Christ was resurrected. Traditionally, Christians celebrate Easter with family, often participating in Easter egg hunts, whereby hollow chocolate eggs are hidden for people to find. This is symbolic of the discovery of the empty tomb of Christ.

How Are Easter and Passover Similar?

• The connection to Jewish people Jesus, Himself was a Jew, and Jewish people celebrate Passover.
• Pesach seder Jews celebrate Passover by having a Pesach seder. The Last Supper of Christ before his crucifixion was also a Passover seder.
• Delivery from some form of hopelessness The Jews were delivered from slavery, and Christians were delivered from sin.
• Their dates Both of these holidays are celebrated around similar dates in spring.
• The symbol of the egg For Jews, the egg symbolizes rebirth as they were "reborn" after being delivered from slavery. For Christians, the hollow egg represents the empty tomb of Christ.

How Are Easter and Passover Different?

• Religion Passover is celebrated by Jews, whereas Christians celebrate Easter.
• The person celebrated Passover is in celebration of Moses, while Easter is a celebration of Jesus Christ.
• Duration Passover lasts 7-8 nights, while Easter is only one night.
• Symbols Jewish symbols of Passover include wine and unleavened bread—Matzo, a flat, cracker style Jewish bread. It is made to be this way to symbolize the haste that the Jews were in when they fled Egypt. They did not have time to let their bread rise. The symbols of Easter are hollow eggs to represent the empty tomb of Christ and bunnies and ducklings to represent spring, fertility, and purity.