Ashkenazi vs. Sephardic Passover: How Two Worlds Do the Same Holiday

Passover commemorates the same event for every Jewish community in the world: the Exodus from Egypt. But how that story is told, what is eaten, and which customs surround the seder vary significantly between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews. Both communities use a Haggadah but the versions differ. Ashkenazi seders follow standard printed formats. Sephardic communities have their own liturgical poetry and songs. The fifteen steps of the seder are universal. The flavor differs. The most immediately practical difference is kitniyot. Ashkenazi tradition prohibits rice, corn, beans, and lentils during Passover. Sephardic tradition never adopted this restriction. A Sephardic Passover meal might include rice pilaf while a traditional Ashkenazi Passover table avoids all legumes. Ashkenazi charoset is almost always apples, walnuts, red wine, and cinnamon. Sephardic charosets vary by country: Moroccan uses dates and walnuts, Iraqi uses dates and pomegranate, Turkish often includes chestnuts. One of the most vivid Sephardic customs is the reenactment of leaving Egypt. Family members physically mime leaving — walking through the room with bundles over their shoulders. The embodied drama of the story is made literal. The songs at a Sephardic seder draw on Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish language, and the melodies are distinct from the Ashkenazi tunes most American Jews know. As more families have mixed backgrounds, American seders increasingly draw on both traditions.