So, you're trying to figure out when to request time off or when to start scouring the back of your pantry for that one stray cracker. It happens every year. We look at the calendar, and suddenly Passover is three weeks earlier or a month later than we remembered.
In 2026, Passover begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 1. Yes, April Fools' Day. But for the Jewish community, the start of the holiday is no joke. It’s the beginning of an eight-day journey (or seven, if you’re in Israel) through history, memory, and a lot of matzah.
Passover 2026: The Specific Dates You Need
If you are planning a Seder or trying to coordinate travel, the timing is everything. Because Jewish holidays follow a lunar-solar calendar, they "start" in the evening. This is because, in the Hebrew tradition, a day begins at sunset, not midnight.
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- The First Seder: Wednesday night, April 1, 2026.
- The Second Seder: Thursday night, April 2, 2026 (for those outside of Israel).
- The Holiday Ends: Nightfall on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
Basically, the "main" days—the ones where most people take off work or avoid their laptops—are the first two days and the last two days. In between, you have Chol Hamoed. These are the "intermediate" days. You can work, you can drive, but you're still not eating bread. It's a weird middle ground where life feels semi-normal, except your lunch options are severely limited.
Why is it eight days?
It depends on where you live. In Israel, the holiday lasts seven days. Outside of Israel (the Diaspora), it’s eight. This dates back thousands of years. Before we had iPhones and synchronized calendars, the start of a new month was declared in Jerusalem based on moon sightings. Messengers were sent out to tell everyone, "Hey, the month started!"
If you lived far away, the messenger might not reach you in time. To be safe, people outside Israel added an extra day to make sure they didn't accidentally miss the holiday. Even though we have NASA-level accuracy now, the tradition stuck.
Why Does the Date Change Every Year?
It’s honestly a bit of a math puzzle. Most of the world runs on the Gregorian calendar, which is solar. It tracks the 365 days it takes for the Earth to go around the sun. The Hebrew calendar is primarily lunar, tracking the phases of the moon.
A lunar year is about 11 days shorter than a solar year. If we did nothing, Passover would eventually drift into winter, then autumn, then summer. But the Torah says Passover must be in the spring. It’s the "Festival of Spring."
To fix this, the Jewish calendar uses a "leap year" system. But instead of adding a day (like February 29th), a whole extra month is added. This happens seven times in every 19-year cycle. This keeps the lunar months aligned with the solar seasons. In 2026, we’re back in April after a few years of shifting around.
The Pre-Passover "Chaos"
If you’ve ever walked into a Jewish household a week before April 1st, you might see what looks like a frantic spring cleaning on steroids. This isn’t just about dust. It’s about chametz.
Chametz is any leavened grain—wheat, barley, rye, spelt, or oats—that has risen. Think bread, pasta, cookies, beer, and most cereal. Before the holiday starts on Wednesday evening, the house has to be cleared of it. Some people go as far as vacuuming their car seats and checking their coat pockets for crumbs.
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Searching for crumbs by candlelight
There is a beautiful, slightly quirky ritual called Bedikat Chametz. On the night before the first Seder (Tuesday night, March 31, 2026), the family goes through the house with a candle, a wooden spoon, and a feather. You "search" for the last bits of bread. Usually, parents hide ten small pieces of bread so the kids actually find something. It turns a massive cleaning chore into a bit of a scavenger hunt.
What Happens at the Seder?
The Seder is the heart of the holiday. It’s a ritual feast, but "feast" is a loose term because the first hour or two is mostly reading, singing, and drinking wine before the actual dinner shows up.
Everything on the Seder plate has a job.
- Maror (Bitter Herbs): Usually horseradish. It’s meant to make your eyes water to remind you of the bitterness of slavery.
- Charoset: A sweet paste of apples, nuts, and wine. It looks like the mortar used by slaves to build pyramids. Honestly, it’s the best thing on the table.
- Karpas: A green vegetable (usually parsley) dipped in salt water. The salt water represents tears.
- Zeroah: A roasted bone. It’s purely symbolic; you don’t eat it. It represents the ancient sacrifices.
You’ve also got the Four Questions. Traditionally, the youngest person at the table stands up and asks, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" It’s a way to get the kids involved and keep them awake through the long story of the Exodus.
Modern Twists on Old Traditions
Passover isn't a museum piece; it's living. In 2026, you'll see a lot of people adding new symbols to their Seder plates.
Some people put an orange on the plate to represent the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community and women in Jewish leadership. Others might include a "Miriam's Cup" filled with water alongside the traditional cup for the prophet Elijah, honoring the role of women in the Exodus story.
There’s also a big push toward "Social Justice Seders." Since the whole point of Passover is celebrating freedom from oppression, many families use the evening to discuss modern-day slavery, human trafficking, or refugee crises. It turns a 3,000-year-old story into something very relevant to the current year.
Actionable Tips for Passover 2026
If you’re planning to observe or attend a Seder, here is how to stay ahead of the game:
- Book your travel early: Since the first Seder is on a Wednesday (April 1), many people will be traveling on Tuesday or Wednesday morning. Flights will get pricey.
- The "Great Matzah Hunt": If you have a favorite brand of gluten-free matzah or a specific Kosher-for-Passover item, buy it in early March. The shelves in the "International" aisle of the grocery store get cleared out faster than you'd think.
- Clean in phases: Don't try to "de-bread" your whole house on March 31st. Start with the guest rooms and closets in mid-March, and leave the kitchen for the final 48 hours.
- Check the labels: "Kosher" and "Kosher for Passover" are not the same thing. Look for the "P" next to the kosher symbol. If it doesn't have the P, you're going to be disappointed when you realize that box of crackers is off-limits.
Passover is a lot of work. The cleaning, the cooking, the logistics—it’s intense. But when everyone is finally sitting around the table on that Wednesday night in April, leaning back in their chairs and singing songs that have been sung for millennia, the effort usually feels worth it.