The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-03-29
Jewish Feast of Passover will Commence
 This Evening

At sunset this evening the Jews of the world will begin the observance of the feast. of essach, Or the Pass over, and the celebration will con- tinue for eight days. essach, the Passover, or. as it also is known, the Feast Of Unleavened Bread, was instituted to commemorate the de- liverance of the Israelites from their bondagef in Egypt and their depar- ture, under the guidance of Moses, for the promised land.
 During the period of the Passover the use of ordinary bread and all Ieavened food Is strictly prohibited. A1atzoth, an un1eavened cake, takes the place of bread on the tables of all orthodox Hebrews. The mat goth is prepared by Jewish bakers ac- cording to a recipe ages old. Rab- bis usually supervise the baking, in order to see to it t1la. all the laws connected herewith are strictly ob- served.
 The use Of matzoth as a substitute for bread owes its origin to the fact that when the Jews left Egypt so hur- rtedly that the women had no time to bake a. supply of bread for the long. journey As a result, they had to take the dough, which they had. pre- pared, with them, and bake it before 0Q.s a combination of flour and water, without any yeast or other ingre- dient.
 Among the orthodox Jews the fes- tivaI today will be strictly observed for two days, and the last two days of the feast are also kept as strdn- gently as the Sabbath, but the inter cial importance. except that leavened food must be albstained from.
 The observance of the Passover be- gins this evening with the Seder ser vice at the synagogues and dn the households. After the formal eKer- cises the orthodox Jews assemble at home about the family table. in which is spread the roasted shank bone of a lamb, which represents the PaschaI lamb offering; a dish. con taining; mixture of chopped fruits and nuts sy1nboIfca1 of the mortar which the Jews used in their puIId- ing operations during their slavery in Egypt; cup containing vinegar and the bitter tops of horseradish stalks which are typical of the bit terness of the oppression of the cIdI-3 dren of Israel in their bondage, and cups of wine, one at each place.
 When the family is gathered about the table the head of the house opens the Seder ceremony by reading the Kiddush, or the Sancuhcation of the Festival All then partake of the. wine, after which the Hagadah. an account of the deliverance of the Jews from their Egyptian oppressors. is read. The evening meal then pro ceeds, after which the orthodox households join in chanting hymns of thanksgiving and praise.
 Pessach is the great spring festival of the Hebrews, as Easter is of the Christians, but while the latter are observing Holy Week in memory of the great tragedy the Hebrews will be engaged in praising Jehovah for his deIfverance of their race from bandage in the dim and misty past.
 The first and second nights of the Passover period are made the occa- sion for family gatherings at which conviva1ity and mirth are supreme. and the ancient jokes and anecdotes are retoId. Many of these stories would make the fortune of a. writer, but very few Of them have ever been printed, but are handed down from father to son. Probably some of the oldest Jokes the world has ever laugh ed over will be told tonight in many languages round the paternaI boards Of Jewish homes.