How to say Happy Passover in Hebrew: Jewish holiday greetings explained and what ‘Chag Sameach’ means

© Provided by The i Passover typically includes a ritual meal called the Seder (Photo: halbergman/Getty Images)

Passover is one of the most important festivals in the Jewish calendar.

It serves as a celebration of the story of Exodus, as Jews remember their ancestors leaving slavery.

The spring festival begins on the 15th day of Nisan, the first month of the Jewish calendar.

How to say ‘Happy Passover’ in Hebrew

“Sameach Pesach” is a Hebrew translation for “Happy Passover”.

This is pronounced differently to English – with the “ch” sound a raspy noise that should come from the back of the throat.

The words are also flipped back to front – so it’s spoken “sah-MEY-akh PAY-sock” and written “Pesach Sameach”.

Other Passover greetings

Sometimes people will drop the “Pesach” and instead say “Chag Sameach” which means “Happy Festival”.

This can be used for most Jewish holidays, but is often used during Passover, Sukkot, and Shavu’ot, which are technically the only religious festivals.

Alternatively, you could opt for the impressive “Chag kasher v’sameach”, pronounced “KHAGH kah-SHEHR vuh-sah-MEY-akh”.

This roughly translates to: Have a happy and kosher holiday.

“Chag Kashruth Pesach” is a Passover specific greeting, which means “Have a happy kosher Passover”.

How is Passover celebrated?

Traditionally, the first night of Passover typically includes a ritual meal called the Seder – Hebrew for “order” – reflecting how the feast is served in an order set out in the Passover Haggadah, a Jewish instructional text.

During Seder, everyone has a cushion to lean on. This reminds them that they are no longer enslaved like their ancestors.

On the table there are usually three Matzah flat breads. At the start of the Seder, the middle Matzah is broken into bits and the largest piece is hidden.

During the Seder the children hunt for the largest piece of Matzah and then the one who finds it receives a small prize.

When is Passover 2023?

Just like Easter in Christianity, the date of Passover changes from year to year in the more commonly-used Gregorian, solar calendar.

The Jewish holiday is defined in terms of lunar phases, generally falling on the first full moon following the spring equinox (although some years it can be the second moon, when a “leap month” regulates the Hebrew calendar).

This year Passover will begin on the evening of Wednesday 5 April and it will end on the evening of Thursday 13 April.