Timing is everything. If you’re checking the calendar because you need to book a flight or you’re just worried about when to start cleaning the pantry, you’ve probably noticed something weird. The dates for Passover—or Pesach, if you’re using the Hebrew—bounce around like crazy. One year it’s late March and you’re wearing a coat to the Seder; the next, it’s mid-April and the tulips are already out.
So, let's get straight to it. When does Pesach start in 2026?
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Mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 1, 2026. No, it’s not an April Fool’s joke. The first Seder happens on that Wednesday night as the sun goes down. Because the Jewish calendar is lunar, the "day" actually begins at sundown the evening before the first full day of the holiday. You’ll be finishing your last bit of matzah on the evening of Thursday, April 9.
It feels late, doesn't it? There's a specific astronomical reason for that.
The "Adar" Glitch: Why Pesach is Late This Year
Jewish timekeeping is a bit of a mathematical headache. It’s a lunisolar system. While the Gregorian calendar tracks the sun, the Hebrew calendar watches the moon but tries to stay friends with the sun so the seasons don't drift.
If we only followed the moon, Pesach would eventually end up in the middle of winter. That’s a big "no" according to the Torah. Deuteronomy 16:1 explicitly commands us to "Observe the month of Aviv," which means the month of springtime. To keep Pesach in the spring, the calendar adds a whole extra month every two or three years. We call this a "leap year," but instead of adding a day in February, we add an entire 30-day month called Adar II.
2026 happens to be one of those years. Specifically, it's the 8th year in the 19-year Metonic cycle. Without that extra month of Adar, you’d be eating Maror in the snow.
The Sunset Rule
People get confused about the "start" date every single year. Google might tell you April 2nd, but if you show up at your grandma’s house for dinner on the 2nd, you’ve missed the main event.
In Jewish tradition, the day starts at night.
- Erev Pesach: Wednesday, April 1 (Seder night).
- Day 1: Thursday, April 2.
- Day 2: Friday, April 3 (Second Seder for those outside Israel).
If you’re living in Tel Aviv, the holiday is seven days. If you’re in Brooklyn, London, or anywhere else in the Diaspora, it’s eight. That extra day was originally a "safety net" from ancient times when news of the new moon was carried by foot and torchlight. We kept it because, honestly, who doesn't want another night of brisket?
Cleaning, Chametz, and the Search for Crumbs
Once you know when Pesach starts, the panic usually sets in. The "Great Clean" is less about spring cleaning and more about a forensic search for chametz—leavened grain.
We aren't just talking about a loaf of sourdough. It’s anything made from wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt that has risen. Most people spend the week leading up to April 1st scrubbing out toaster ovens and checking the pockets of winter coats for stray Cheerios.
On the night of Tuesday, March 31, there’s a beautiful, slightly chaotic ritual called Bedikat Chametz. You grab a candle, a wooden spoon, and a feather. You hide ten pieces of bread around the house (pro tip: wrap them in foil so you don't actually make a mess) and "find" them. It’s the ultimate spiritual scavenger hunt. The next morning, Wednesday, you burn whatever is left.
The Seder Table: What Actually Happens on April 1st?
The Seder is basically a 15-step dinner party that doubles as a history lesson. It’s designed to be slow. It’s designed to make kids ask questions. If you’re hosting for the first time, don't aim for perfection. Aim for enough wine.
You’ll see the Seder plate in the center. It’s a symbolic map:
- Karpas: A green vegetable (usually parsley) dipped in salt water to represent tears.
- Maror: Bitter herbs (horseradish that clears your sinuses) for the bitterness of slavery.
- Charoset: A sweet paste of nuts, apples, and wine that looks like the mortar used by slaves.
- Zeroah: A roasted bone.
- Beitzah: A hard-boiled egg.
Then there’s the Matzah. The "bread of affliction." It’s flat, it’s crunchy, and it’s the only grain you’re eating for eight days. The most famous part of the night is the Four Questions. Usually, the youngest person at the table stands up and asks, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"
Honestly? Because it’s the only night of the year you’re required to lean to the left while drinking four cups of wine.
Common Misconceptions About the Dates
I see this every year on social media: "Is Passover early or late this year?"
The truth is, Pesach is always exactly on time. It starts on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Nisan. Every. Single. Year. It’s our Gregorian calendar that’s the moving target.
Another big one is the "Passover starts on Easter" myth. In 2026, Easter Sunday falls on April 5th. So, yes, they overlap significantly. This happens often because both holidays are tied to the lunar cycle, though the Church changed its calculation methods centuries ago to ensure they didn't always align perfectly.
Preparing for the 2026 Timeline
If you're planning, here's how the week of April 1st looks for most households:
The lead-up starts weeks before. You stop buying pasta in mid-March. By March 30, the "Pesach kitchen" is usually in full swing. Because the first Seder is a Wednesday night, many people will take Thursday and Friday off work.
If you are a first-born, there’s an extra quirk: the Fast of the Firstborn on Wednesday morning. Most guys go to a Siyum (a celebration of finishing a tractate of Torah study) at the synagogue so they can eat a celebratory meal and skip the fast. It’s a very legalistic, very "Jewish" workaround.
Actionable Steps for a Stress-Free Start
Don't wait until March 31st to realize you don't have enough Haggadahs (the books used during the Seder).
- Inventory check by March 15: See how much Matzah you actually have. In 2026, with the holiday starting mid-week, grocery stores will be picked over by the preceding Sunday.
- The "Kitniyot" Decision: If you’re Sephardic, you eat rice and beans. If you’re Ashkenazic, traditionally you don’t, though many Conservative movements have changed their stance on this. Decide your "house rules" before you go shopping.
- Sell your Chametz: If you have a liquor cabinet or a pantry full of expensive pasta, you don't throw it out. You "sell" it to a non-Jewish neighbor via a rabbi. You can usually do this online starting in early March.
- Check the Wine: You need four cups per person, per Seder. Do the math. If you have ten people coming for two nights, that's 80 cups. Buy by the case.
When the sun sets on April 1, 2026, the goal isn't just to have a clean house or a perfectly set table. It’s about the "Magid"—the telling of the story. Whether you’re doing a 20-minute "express" Seder or a five-hour deep dive into Egyptian archaeology, the timing is just the framework for the memory.
Get the shopping done early. The extra month of Adar gives you thirty extra days to prepare, so there’s really no excuse for the last-minute grocery store scramble this time around. Keep an eye on the moon, and get the horseradish ready.