Passover Celebration For Christian Families?

First I will outline a brief history of the Passover festival.

Passover is the oldest and most important religious festival in the Judaism traditions, commemorating God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and His creation of the Israelite people. The Passover festival begins at sunset on the 14th of Nisan (usually in March or April) and marks the beginning of seven day celebration that includes the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The focal point of Passover is a communal meal, called the Seder (which means “order”, because of the fixed order of service), which is time of rejoicing and celebration at the deliverance for the Hebrews that God accomplished in the exodus.

Since its inception Passover has traditionally been celebrated in the home with family and friends as they eat meal together. It has always been customary to invite guests to share the Seder meal, especially newcomers to the community. A Seder meal in most Jewish homes is an elaborate feast, with food, games for the children, and to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. It is not unusual for Seder to last three or four hours.

The Seder involves everyone present since they all share in this festival with reading and singing. While the father or grandfather is usually the leader of the service, others have roles as well. The mother of the home lights the festival candles that signal the beginning of Passover, the youngest child asks the four questions, the children help eliminate all Chametz,leaven, from the house,search for the hidden Afikomen (symbolic piece of Matzah, unleavened bread) and open the door for Elijah, the parents or the grandparents usually start to tell the story of the exodus, and various others are designated to read or lead certain portions of the service.

Passover is really more than festival. It is a teaching experience, especially for the children, intended to call people to their identity as the People of God. The Passover Seder tells the story of God’s grace in history and calls on all the participants to experience and share in the story as their own story.

There has been increasing interest among Christians in this ancient festival. There are several reasons for this renewed interest, they are: an increasing sensitivity to cultural and societal problems and corresponding desire to learn about others; renewed awareness of the importance of the Old Testament Scriptures as Christian Scripture; the desire and need in our modern world to recover sense of the sacred through liturgy and sacrament, and the willingness to find new and innovative ways to worship. Most importantly, however, is the wonderful picture the Passover gives to believers of what Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb has accomplished for us.

I would encourage Christian families to begin a tradition of having a special Passover celebration. Children love this celebration and will look forward to it each year. It is a terrific teaching opportunity and helps us draw our focus toward the eternal significance of God’s and Jesus Christ’s passion. Good Friday would be the best day to consider, but anytime during the Easter season would be appropriate. A Christian Passover celebration is really not difficult, but it does require some planning so it would be best to start your arrangements a few weeks in advance.

This article was written by Steven E Coffman owner of (Family-eStore.com). We offer an assortment of Christian gifts and patriotic gifts at our site, plus we donate 10% of our sales to charity. Our motto is: We cater to God, country and your Family.

Christians & Halloween: a Few Halloween Celebration Alternatives for Christians!

1. Host a Family Game Night

Chances are, your homeschoolers will be longingly gazing out their bedroom on windows on October 31st unless you make your own fun indoors. A family game night is a wonderful way to have safe, Godly fun. Dust off the board games, pop some popcorn, and get ready for an evening of friendly competition. Candy prizes and autumn themed treats like candy apples and pumpkin pie will help your kids forget about trick-or-treating. You can also get together with other homeschooling families for a homeschool vs. homeschool showdown. Be sure to have at least one family member at the door to pass out candy. The last thing you want to do is come off as strange and unfriendly. There’s nothing wrong with passing out candy, and you can also pass out tracts with a friendly smile. Don’t shut yourself in and ignore your neighbors.

2. Go to a Harvest Party

When my kids think of Halloween they think of our church’s annual Harvest Party. This fun-filled evening occurs every October 31st as a safe, fun Halloween alternative. Races, leaf piles, corn mazes, and more fill the night with glee. There are candy prizes in each room in addition to larger prizes like video games, Bibles, and scooters. Believe it or not, my homeschoolers actually prefer going to the Harvest party over trick-or-treating. If your church doesn’t hold a Halloween alternative, meet up with your fellow homeschooling parents to brainstorm.

3. Cosmic Bowling Night

Most bowling alleys are open late into the night with florescent lights and strobes. Cosmic bowling is a great activity for those who wish to avoid Halloween festivities. Bowling alleys are usually empty on October 31st. This is a great opportunity for family-friendly bowling competition. You can even get together with other homeschool families and make teams. The Johnsons vs. the Thompsons! Go wild with uniforms, team names, and colors.

4. Throw a Costume Party

Just because trick-or-treaters dress up on Halloween doesn’t mean your youngsters can’t. Why not have a themed costume party with Biblical or historical figures? A friend of mine throws a party each year for homeschoolers. Last year she had a Noah’s Ark party. Each child dressed up as an animal for an impromptu play based on the story of Noah’s Ark. Just make sure you specify that all costumes must be appropriate for a Halloween Alternative. You don’t want any zombies crashing your party!

5. Carve Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins can be a fun day-long activity for creative homeschoolers. They don’t have to represent the souls of the undead as long as you don’t want them to! Take your homeschoolers out to a pumpkin patch to pick their favorite pumpkins. Mix it up with gourds and squashes. Draw some goofy faces and carve out silly creations. You can even write inspirational messages in the pumpkins for inquisitive passers by. Make sure to hang on to those squishy pumpkin seeds. You can throw them into the oven and dry them out for a crispy treat. Just add salt!

Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling mother, writer, children’s rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of home education company Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of 28 years reside with their 8 children right outside Philadelphia, PA.


Rothschild launched Learning By Grace, Inc. because she believed that our nation’s public school system has failed parents and students. Learning By Grace, Inc. offers online education through a multimedia-rich curriculum to PreK-12 children across the country and throughout the world.


An accomplished author, Rothschild has written books regarding education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Homeschooling News Café Blog consists of the most current and relevant education news.