Passover 2027: Seder Date, Haggadah & Removing Chametz
Festival guide · 2027
Passover (Pesach) 2027 falls on Thursday, April 22, 2027. Dates are astronomical estimates — confirm with your local religious authority.
Passover (פֶּסַח, Pesach) commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus. It begins on 15 Nisan and lasts seven days in Israel, eight in the Diaspora — typically in late March or April.
Passover is centred on the Seder — a ritual family meal and storytelling ceremony held on the first night (and second night in the Diaspora). It is the most widely observed Jewish occasion, celebrated across all Jewish backgrounds.
When is Passover 2027?
Passover 2027 falls on Thursday, April 22, 2027. Dates are based on astronomical calculations and may vary by ±1 day — always confirm with your local religious authority.
| Date | Thursday, April 22, 2027 |
Passover 2027: Planning & Key Facts
In 2027, Passover lands midweek — observers planning gatherings may want to bridge a day toward the weekend. The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar with periodic leap months, so the Gregorian date shifts year to year within about a month. This is an expected date; final observance follows the local announcement.
| Year | Date | Shift vs. prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Passover 2026 | Wednesday, April 1, 2026 | — |
| Passover 2027 | Thursday, April 22, 2027 | 386 days later |
| Passover 2028 | Sunday, April 9, 2028 | 353 days later |
Other Jewish observances near Passover 2027:
- Purim — Tuesday, March 23, 2027 · Festival of Esther
Traditions & Observance
The Passover Seder
The Seder follows the Haggadah — a text retelling the Exodus through prayers, songs, and 15 structured steps. Children ask the Four Questions (Ma Nishtana) that open the storytelling. The Seder plate holds symbolic foods: shankbone, bitter herbs, charoset, parsley, and a roasted egg. Four cups of wine are drunk.
Removing Chametz
In the weeks before Passover, homes are cleaned to remove all chametz — any leavened grain product. The night before, a candle-lit search for chametz (bedikat chametz) is performed and remaining chametz is burned the following morning. Many sell their chametz to a non-Jew for the duration of the holiday.
Matzah — The Bread of Affliction
Matzah (unleavened flatbread) is eaten throughout Passover in place of chametz, recalling the haste of the Exodus — no time for bread to rise. Eating matzah at the Seder is a biblical commandment. Many use handmade shmurah matzah, watched from harvest to baking to ensure no leavening occurs.
Hol HaMoed and the Last Days
The intermediate days (Hol HaMoed) are semi-festive, with many taking family outings. The last day of Passover commemorates the splitting of the Red Sea. Yizkor, the memorial service for departed loved ones, is recited on the last day.
What is the order of the Passover Seder?
The Seder follows 15 steps, named in a mnemonic sung at the start: Kadesh (sanctification over wine), Urchatz (hand washing), Karpas (vegetable dipped in salt water), Yachatz (breaking the middle matzah), Maggid (telling the Exodus story with the Haggadah), Rachtzah (hand washing before eating), Motzi Matzah (blessings over matzah), Maror (bitter herbs), Korech (Hillel sandwich), Shulchan Orech (festive meal), Tzafun (eating the afikomen — the hidden matzah), Barech (Grace after Meals), Hallel (Psalms of praise), Nirtzah (conclusion with songs). The Seder plate holds symbolic foods: shankbone, egg, bitter herbs, charoset, karpas, and — in many traditions — chazeret.
What can and cannot be eaten during Passover?
The primary prohibition is chametz — any of five grains (wheat, barley, oats, spelt, rye) that have been leavened. This includes bread, pasta, cereals, beer, and most baked goods. Matzah is permitted because it is baked within 18 minutes of water touching flour, preventing fermentation. Ashkenazi Jews additionally avoid kitniyot — legumes, rice, corn, and similar items — though this tradition has no universal basis and many Sephardic Jews and modern authorities permit kitniyot. Passover products must be certified kosher for Passover (KFP). Homes are cleaned of chametz before the festival, and remaining chametz is legally sold (mechirat chametz) through a rabbi.
Other Years
Passover begins at sundown on 14 Nisan. Israel observes 7 days; the Diaspora observes 8. Confirm dates with your local synagogue.