Happy Easter!

I had a lovely Easter Brunch with my family, spent some quality time with my brother, and then relaxed with my boyfriend and dog.

As much as I love celebrating my traditional holidays year after year, it’s often fun to throw something new into the mix.

Last week I was invited to attend Passover Seder.

It was my first time participating a Passover celebration, and my first time eating an obscene amount of matzo crackers.

Because so many people are the Seder weren’t actually Jewish, the celebration was not overly traditional.  (FYI, I’m Catholic.) Our host did his very best to share some religious tradition and lots of fun and laughter.

The tables were beautifully set and there were lots of bottles of wine.

The Daffodils were such a gorgeous shade of yellow, the perfect color for spring.

Such a warm and welcoming table!

Each dinner guest had a Haggadah at his or her seat.

Low lighting and candles set the mood for the dinner.

In English and Hebrew, we read the Haggah from right to left.  I looked on the Seder checklist and our celebration had everything except for pillows for reclining.

Charoset: chopped apples and nuts.

The Seder Plate was on the other table.  I forgot to snap a photo, but I promise it was legit.

My favorite part of the Passover Seder was learning Hebrew words.

We all took turns reading the story of Passover.

We paused to ask questions, sing songs, and crack jokes.

Hoagie the Yorkie had a great time celebrating with everyone.

At the end of the meal, everyone ate a small piece of afikoman to start the dessert course.

We stole the afikoman and hid it from the host.  Even though he didn’t offer to give us a reward, we helped him find it by playing a game of hot and cold.

A blend of the Jewish tradition…

and some definite non-traditional moments….

plus plenty of glasses of wine for all of the guests, as well as a cup for Elijah.  Passover Seder was fun!  I had a great time learning all about the celebration of Passover.