How To Make Hosting Your First Passover Seder As Couple (At Least Somewhat) Less Stressful
Easy ways to make your first Passover seder together stress-free.
Flickr/Maryland GovPics If you're anything like me, keeping up with the Jewish calendar can be rough. It seems like, no matter how much of a planner you are, even the major Jewish holidays sometimes hit you out of practically nowhere.
And now that it's already spring of 2022, when is Passover?
Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, begins with the first seder at sunset on the evening of Friday, April 15, and end upon nightfall on Saturday, April 23.
The eight-day festival commemorating the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt is a special time during which we come together with family and friends over the course of two special meals (or only one if you live within Israel) known as the seders.
A lot goes into planning a seder and there is no one right way to go about it, especially when you're part of a new couple hosting for your first time as a duo.
There are family traditions to sort through, menus to plans ... it can be, well, a lot.
Here are four helpful tips to make planning a Passover seder meal as a couple just a little bit easier on both of you.
How to Host Your First Passover Seder as a Couple
1. Compile a list of each of your favorite traditions
Every family celebrates passover a little differently.
Whether it's hiding the afikomen, the items you choose to include in your seder plate or the songs and stories you include, discussing it beforehand and making a list of the traditions most important to you will ease the transition from your families seders of the past to your own and help to create your own traditions with your loved one.
2. Plan ahead
I can't stress how important this is. Seders are complicated and odds are you're going to have a lot of people over.
Start preparing for your seder beforehand. Know who you're going to invite, who's definitely coming and decide on a menu. Start cooking the few things you can the night before and set your table a few hours before; you'll save yourself a lot of time and headache the day of.
If members of your family are coming from out of town, know where they're staying and how they're getting to you. There's going to be a lot of eating and drinking during your seder, and it's important to keep everyone safe.
If people are crashing at your place, discuss it with them beforehand. If they're going elsewhere, know who is driving them. Have a driver service like Uber downloaded and ready, should anyone need a ride.
3. Mentally prepare yourselves
As much as we love our families, they're all a little crazy in their own ways.
Admit it! Prepare yourself (and each other) for that one family member who makes off-color comments, the inevitable political arguments or questions about when you and your significant other are getting married and having kids.
Keep in mind that it's just one night, and try to enjoy yourselves and focus your attention on the family members you are closest with.
4. Relax
An integral part of the story of Passover says that the everyone at the seder table people is to recline and relax, "because in ancient times, a person who reclined at a meal was a free person, while slaves and servants stood."
Take their advice and chill out!
Don't stress too much over having the perfect seder; you will be amongst family and friends, having fun and paying homage to our ancestors — and that's all that matters.
Follow these four simple steps and your passover seder will be stress-free and fun.
Caithlyn Hitt is a freelance writer and editor who's work has been featured in Thrillist, Romper, the New York Daily News, and more.