Fun Ideas for Celebrating Passover and Unleavened Bread

Looking for some ideas for fun ways to celebrate the Bible holidays of Passover and Unleavened Bread? While these times both have great spiritual significance and we would certainly do well to spend time in prayer, worship, and Bible study, as well as perform other acts of service as a way to honor the Creator, I think it's also good to remind ourselves that it's also okay to do things just for fun. These are times of joy after all! Here are some ways to spark joy this Biblical holiday season.

Red Sea Crossing Smoothie Bowls

Why not make something delicious that also reminds you of one of the greatest miracles ever?

Lamb shaped things.

Use a lamb cookie cutter on everything from cheese to apple slices. I made cutout cookies in the shape of lambs to go with my blood on the doorpost Passover dessert.

Blood on the Doorpost Decoration from Torah Sisters

Use red cloth over your doorpost to remind your family and visitors of the Exodus story. A red cloth on the mantle can also be a reminder.

Matzah Toffee from Smitten Kitchen

Try your hand at making this traditional Passover snack! It's easier than you think.

DIY Flair Omer Counter

First Fruits begins the count of the omer, where we are fifty days from celebrating Shavuot. Making your own counter like this one can be a fun way to keep this command. Or try the Scratch Off Omer Counter.

Have a taco night!

Did you know that most tortillas are unleavened? That means having a taco night can be part of your Unleavened Bread celebrations! 

Passover Bucket List

Print this one off or make your own list of things you want to do during this feast celebration!

Unleavened Bread Pinata

Make this any size you want! If you have a square shaped box, all you need is crepe paper and candy or prizes to fill it with!

Ten Commandment Gummies

Moses Bible Crafts from Mrs. Jones' Creation Station

Hear me out on this - Bible school crafts don't just have to be for kids. If you have good memories of doing projects like these in Vacation Bible School, you might enjoy revisiting them now! Feel free take inspiration from these and make something more chic...you could write out the ten commandments in calligraphy or decorate a candleholder with a reminder of the burning bush from Exodus or make a miniature empty tomb out of wood. The possibilities are endless! 

Try a new topping on unleavened bread.

You can use homemade or store bought. Instead of plain matzo or matzah pizza, try topping yours with hummus and and seasonal vegetables (as seen here with watermelon radishes), peanut butter and jelly, cream cheese with salmon or roasted vegetables, or even a fried egg. 

Matzah Toffee Ice Cream Sundaes

You might not want UB week to end with desserts like this!

I hope you all have an amazing time celebrating these Biblical holidays! I'd love to hear what fun things you do to celebrate!

More posts on Passover and Unleavened Bread:
How to Celebrate First Fruits
Kids Crafts for Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits
Unleavened Bread Recipes from Around the World

Recipes for Unleavened Bread (Without Yeast, Gluten Free, No Oven)

These are various recipes you can use to make unleavened bread, also known as matzah or matzo, during the Biblical holidays of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There's a little bit of everything here, including gluten-free and vegan options, with recipes made from all-purpose wheat flour to corn masa to buckwheat to chickpea flour. Some of these are made on the stovetop, while others can be baked in the oven. These are wonderful homemade alternatives to boxed matzah, which can be hard to find and is sometimes expensive. These recipes are simple and delicious, and easy to prepare during the week of Unleavened Bread or any time of the year!

I think this post is important because the Living God is inclusive in his holidays, and there are ways for all people and cultures to take part in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, no matter what ingredients are available in their area or despite limitations such as allergies. We are free to use various recipes throughout the week, just so long as they are not leavened. I am giving multiple recipes because there is no single 'right' recipe to use during this time.

Where does unleavened bread come from in the Bible?

The directive for eating unleavened bread for a week was given in Exodus, following the final plague against Pharaoh on Passover. So quickly did Pharaoh change his mind and finally free the slaves that they had very little time to prepare for departure, not even time for their dough to rise and become leavened. Jesus told us to "eat to remember" and eating unleavened bread reminds us of the miracles that the Living God performed many years ago in Egypt, and it also reminds us that our circumstances can quickly change when we aren't expecting them to. Unleavened bread is full of hope.

What is the difference between unleavened bread and regular bread?

Regular bread - whether sandwich bread from the grocery store or artisan sourdough bread - is made using leaven, which means the dough has commercial yeast, sourdough starter, or another leavening agent like baking soda or powder. Typically the dough rests for several hours before baking and grows in size during that time. Once in the oven the bread rises more, giving it height and structure and that airy texture we are all familiar with. Unleavened bread is simply flour of some sort mixed with water and occasionally a few other ingredients, but no leaven. It is then baked quickly, in the oven or on the stovetop. Unleavened breads come out of the oven flat, and can be soft or crunchy depending on the thickness of the dough and how long it was baked.

What about the rabbinical rules though?

Rabbinical rules are just that, rules made up by men - rabbis in this case. There are many complicated rabbinical laws related to unleavened bread, like from when the flour first hits water it has to be baked within 18 minutes. We should know that while there may be wonderful intentions behind instructions like this, that does not mean these rules are the word of God. You are free to keep the Biblical holidays by only following what the Bible says. You do not have to adhere to manmade religious customs. If you are looking for the rabbinic laws regarding Passover and Unleavened Bread, you will not find them here.

Trying out different unleavened recipes can be a great activity during the holiday. How fun would it be to have a different type of unleavened bread each day of the week? Or you could do a potluck with several different kinds! 

12 Unleavened Bread Recipes for Passover:

One Ingredient Socca from Pinch of Yum

Whole Wheat Crackers from A Couple Cooks

Crepes from Cookie and Kate

Tortillas from Minimalist Baker

Einkorn Matzah Bread from Land of Honey

Arepas from Minimalist Baker

Gozleme from Recipe Tin Eats

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies from Sprinkle Bakes

Five Ingredient Buckwheat Crepes (Gluten Free) from Minimalist Baker

Gluten Free Scallion Pancakes from Snixy Kitchen

Homemade Crackers from A Couple Cooks

Strawberry Crepes from Well Plated

Please keep in mind that there are many other types of unleavened bread that you could use to celebrate this Biblical holiday. Many cultures from every continent have some sort of unleavened bread recipe from Ethiopian kitcha bread to Chinese pancakes to tortillas to Indian chapati to much more. Any unleavened bread would be a lovely way to celebrate these Biblical feasts!

More recipes for Passover and Unleavened Bread:
Recipes to Use Homemade Matzah In
Blood on the Doorpost Passover Dessert
Meal Ideas and Recipes for the Feast of Unleavened Bread

The Biblical Exodus and the Seven Day Work Week

In this post I'd like to talk about the workload the Israelites were under when they were enslaved in Egypt. We know they did hard work and manual labor. We know their slavers at least occasionally attacked them physically (a young Moses was so angry to see the harshness an Israelite was treated with that he killed the assailant). We know that the children of Israel cried out to YHWH because of the slavery. But we don't often hear about how much they worked. 

The Bible paints a picture of the Israelites working every day. The text doesn't expressly say this, but it can be inferred from the exchange that Moses and Pharaoh have in Exodus 5, and the fact that once they were freed they needed to be taught to have a rest day each week.

At the beginning of Exodus 5, Moses doesn't seem to be asking for all-out release of Israel from slavery...he initially asks Pharaoh for permission for the Israelites to take a three day journey into the wilderness to celebrate a festival (5:1, 3). He seems to be requesting vacation time from work.

Pharaoh's response to this tells us a lot. This request has angered him. How does he reply to Moses? He doesn't suggest they take a shorter trip over the weekend or use their day off to have their festival. In Exodus 5:4, he says to Moses and Aaron, "Why do you take the people from their work?" Pharaoh is asking, "Why would you have the people stop working? Why would you give them a day off?"

That certainly seems like the Israelites didn't have too many off days, but even if they were getting a day off here or there, it's probable that it was less than one out of every seven days, given that the command for a weekly Sabbath is repeated several times once they are freed. We see that this request for time off angered Pharaoh so much that he increased their workload, requiring them to make the same amount of bricks but now making them gather the straw needed to do so. This was a significant enough increase in work that Scripture records the Israelite slaves confronting Pharaoh about the unreasonableness of this new demand. So even if the Israelites actually did have some occasional days off before, they were certainly gone after they were forced to gather straw themselves. 

On a side note, ancient Egypt had a calendar system that had 'weeks' that were ten days long. It's not super relevant for our purposes here; the main point is that they were working every day of the week, however long that week was. The work schedule and calendar system of Egypt does give us insight into why the seven day week and the day of rest needed to be taught to the Israelites. 

Something we need to take notice of in this story is that it seems to indicate that a lack of time off is a serious impediment to worshipping YHWH. We know the Israelites had some sort of relationship with the Living God, they had cried out to him for freedom after all, but the enslaving powers had blocked them from having festivals and holidays to worship God. They were withheld rest, and Sabbath rest is worship.

This has some huge implications for how we are using our time. 

More and more companies and workplaces are demanding seven day availability from their employees. This can be disguised in language like, "flexible schedules," "weekend availability required," or "time and a half overtime pay." In some cases it can literally be a requirement to work seven days a week for a stretch (I talked to a man once who had just worked a shift for the 106th day in a row), but it can also be things like not being given set days off, or having a schedule of 'four on/four off' or something similar. And in the internet age it can also look like being expected to check email over the weekend or check in on Slack every day, as if you have nothing more important to do with your time than constantly be tethered to work.

Not only are expectations like this a huge emotional drain (any mental health professional will tell you that the pressure to always be working or always be available is detrimental to brain function, and quickly leads to burnout or breakdown), causing havoc at any attempt at a healthy work/life balance, but this expectation is literally unbiblical and ungodly. If you are an employer or manager and you're expecting the people who work for you to be available seven days a week or to check in with work every day, then you are doing things Pharaoh's way and not God's.

Keeping people busy all the time is keeping people from God's best for them. It is robbing them of opportunities to rest and worship on the weekly Sabbath and to take part in the Biblical holidays. That's not to say that you can't have a relationship with God if you are working all the time. Again, we see the Israelites crying out to him when they were slaves. But one of the ten commandments is that we should honor the Sabbath day. If we are not abiding by YHWH's schedule, then we miss out on the good things that come from that.

If you have a business, Scripture requires you to give your employees at least the Sabbath days off. That means they do not work, you do not bother them with work updates or news, and you do not require them to check in on work on that day. 

If you have a job that's requiring to much of you right now, please know that this is not a condemnation of you or any sort of judgment. The legitimate need to provide for your family or to pay your rent can put you in some very bad situations in this culture that largely doesn't recognize Biblical commandments. God understands your situation and cares for you. I'll link below to a post with practical ideas on how you can stop working on the Sabbath.

While many businesses and employers are at fault for their expectation of constant reachability and overburdening their employees, we as individuals need to make sure we are doing our part to make sure we are stopping on the Sabbath for rest and worship.

All of us can help others and ourselves to be more able to rest on the Sabbath day. Not running errands or shopping on the Sabbath means stores and restaurants do less business and therefore require less staffing. If I need to ask someone to do something for me, I can wait another day and not interrupt their Sabbath day with my requests. Pay attention and see what things tend to keep you from rest on the Sabbath - what adjustments can you make so that work, housework, email, etc. are not stealing your focus? If you need help with this, I'll post a link to an article that will help, or feel free to reach out and ask for advice!

We are not slaves. We serve YHWH who commands rest each week...let's do our best to not keep the schedule of slavery. In Revelation where it says, "Come out of her, my people," it's talking about certain cultural customs and ungodly behaviors. That includes the seven day work week! 

How to Stop Working on the Sabbath
Five Ways to Have a More Peaceful Sabbath
Things That Aren't Required for Sabbath Rest

Blood on the Doorpost Passover Dessert from Exodus 12:7 (Easy and Creative)

Look no further for a creative Passover dessert that's easy to make, but still presents beautifully! I wanted to create a dessert that was specific to the Biblical holiday of Passover to make the festivities special. This creation was inspired by Exodus 12:7 and the directive to the Israelites to put the blood of the lamb on the doorpost to their homes. This creates a fun visual and could certainly be simplified a bit to make for a kids Bible school snack. 

How to make the blood on the doorpost Passover dessert:

The core tenets of this dessert are very simple. You'll just need something rectangular shaped for a door, and then something red to symbolize the blood of the lamb.

In this case, a rectangle of vanilla cheesecake with almond flour crust is used for the door.

A raspberry coulis is the 'blood' that goes around the cheesecake 'door.'

There is a small serving of homemade lemon frozen yogurt, beneath the sheep cookie. The color is an homage to the Messiah making our sins white as snow, and ties in with the Passover lamb as well.

The lamb cookie is a shortbread cookie (just flour, sugar, and butter and not leavened in any way), cut with a lamb shaped cookie cutter.

You could certainly adapt this in many ways...make rectangular meringues or unleavened cake for the door. The coulis could be made from strawberries or another red berry, or you could use a red jam or jelly. You could forgo the frozen yogurt altogether, opt for store-bought, or use whipped cream or ice cream in its place. If you're not comfortable using shortbread around Passover, feel free to leave off the lamb cookie. Depending on the changes you make, this could a gluten-free, low-sugar, or dairy-free dessert.

More on Passover festivities:

Biblically Clean for Passover
Passover Dessert Recipes
Matzah Toffee Ice Cream Sundae