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

Passover Bucket List + Printable

Here's a great way to make sure you can do all the Passover stuff this year. A bucket list! What's on mine for this Passover season? Attending Seder, reading through Exodus, making homemade matzah, praying for freedom for those enslaved in some way, setting a spiritual goal, and sending cards to name a few.

Make your own bucket list or download mine. Obviously, it doesn't need to be this big but hanging up a large print can serve twofold as a decoration throughout the week of Unleavened Bread and as a reminder of fun things to do to make this time special.

You can download this here, and then print it off on regular paper or have it printed. I had mine printed at Staples for about $1.75. It is free for your personal use and I hope it helps make Matzah Week a little more fun!

What's on your bucket list for this Passover season?

My Matzah Week: What Celebrating Unleavened Bread Looks Like

A unique element to the Feast of Unleavened Bread (and Sukkot) is the duration of it: one whole week. That's something Western culture is not familiar with. Holidays, from birthdays to weddings to Christmas are one and done. There is anticipation building up to one special day and then it's over. This can create a lot of pressure to make that day spectacular. One of the great things about these Feasts is that since they are so long there is less pressure to have a big blowout day. But this can also seem a little underwhelming. A few times I have come out of Matzah Week thinking that it wasn't terribly different from any other week.

I decided to intentionally make this week a little bit different. I didn't take off work entirely but I did take a few days off. I also spontaneously decided to limit my internet consumption, and didn't read the handful of blogs I check regularly. I put zero thought into this decision but it worked out super well, as when I caught up with them the following week I realized many of the posts centered around easter preparation. I'm happy to have missed that, particularly during a set  apart time of YHWH. Spiritually, I focused on the final days and statements of Yahusha.  A couple of things I did weren't really feast themed but they were things that I enjoy that make the week a little more special, like picking fresh flowers and reading a new book.  Another thing I'm glad I did was to jot down a few of the Feast centered things that I did each day. It's cool to see that not only was I taking steps to celebrate a Feast of YHWH but that this week really was different for me.

I'm sharing with you what my week was like not because I think everyone should copy my schedule, but because the first few times I celebrated Unleavened Bread I kept wondering, but what should we do? So here is what Matzah Week was like for me this year. I think we don't have more instructions on this holy day because YHWH doesn't want us to be carbon copies of each other. We have a few guidelines, the no-work days, not consuming anything leavened, and celebrating but we also have a little creative wiggle room in how we choose to honor him this week.

Monday was a no-work day. My husband and myself took the day off from our professional jobs and also set aside the perpetual to do list for the day so that we could rest and enjoy YHWH's feast.
-We read the Exodus story together.
-The house had some decorations up already but we set out the decorations I brought back from our Pesach celebration. Including my matzah pinata, chocolate Seder plate, coasters, and lots of printables.
-We ate leftovers from the Passover meal, including matzah.
-We watched The Prince of Egypt.

Tuesday:
-Made a fresh batch of homemade matzah.

-Read the Prince of Egypt story.

-Watched the Joshua episode of Stories from the Bible (since it happened right after Passover).

-I got my flair omer counter set up and ready to go.

-Made spaghetti squash with marinara for dinner.

Wednesdays I run errands with my grandmother. Our tradition is visiting a coffee shop at the end of our outing. This time we had to be mindful of not consuming leavened treats.

-Wore my matzah socks!

-Read a new cookbook from the library.

-Matzah for lunch and dinner. Homemade matzah can be soft like a pita or tortilla, so I used mine to make 'tacos' of roasted root vegetables from the Passover meal. Great with cream cheese and a sprinkle of tabbouleh.

Thursday I worked most of the day. I made it a point to still be mindful of this being a special time.

-Read a verse related to Unleavened Bread every few hours.

-Listened to some Passover music throughout the day.

-Wore my clay matzah ring.

-I baked unleavened coconut cookies.

-Watched Torah to the Tribes' Passover.

Friday:

-Made plenty of fresh matzah to prepare for the back to back Shabbats this week.

-Listened to Torah to the Tribes' Unleavened Bread teaching while cooking and getting ready for Shabbat.

-Finally assembled my clay matzah picture frame for an extra decoration.

Shabbat:

-Attended congregation.

-Had a family lunch of black bean soup with matzah.

-Read the Last Supper accounts in the Besorah.

-Got a card around to send to friends also celebrating Matzah Week.

-More Passover music.

Sunday was the other no-work day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

-We slept in.

-Began our omer counting. (There are many different theories on when to start this, so don't feel bad if you started another day.)

-Went for a walk in beautiful weather.

-Picked a few flowers. The first of the year for me.

-Read the remaining Scriptures from this list.

How do you like to spend your Matzah Week? Again, please don't feel like your week needs to be just like mine. Hopefully this gave you some visual inspiration for keeping this feast. More ideas for Unleavened Bread can be found here.
How do celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread?

Sukkot Stuffed Recipes to Try

In most of the world Sukkot falls on the time of the final ingathering of the crops for the year. Gardens are emptied of the last of the tomatoes and peppers before the first frost, and huge fields are being harvested. Most of us are very far removed from the sigh of relief much of humanity surely felt at the end of an abundant harvest. While it is a blessing to live where an abundance of food available year round, we do miss out on noticing much of YHWH's provision. 

One way to remind ourselves that YHWH meets our needs is through the Sukkot tradition of stuffing vegetables and other foods. This shows that he not only gives us good things but generously 'stuffs' us full. Serving a meal of something stuffed is a good talking point of what (besides food) that YHWH has faithfully provided. Give one of these recipes a try this week!

Chili Stuffed Spaghetti Squash from Making Thyme for Health

Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Will Frolic for Food

Pad Thai Spring Rolls from A Beautiful Mess

Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas from Cookie and Kate

Vegan Stuffed Poblanos from Minimalist Baker

Butternut Feta Hand Pies from A Beautiful Plate

Veggie Fajita Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from How Sweet It Is

Chipotle Pumpkin Enchiladas from A Beautiful Mess

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers from Minimalist Baker

Broccoli Rabe and Black Bean Quesadillas from Cookie and Kate

Pineapple Boat with Sorbet from The House That Lars Built

Almond Butter Baked Apples from Making Thyme for Health

Which of these doesn't look fantastic? I'm thinking it would be a great night for Mexican food in the sukkah. :) And that pineapple boat with fresh sorbet or ice cream? What dreams are made of! If you need inspiration, take a trip to a local farmers market. You could also stuff your favorite fillings into manicotti or apples into a pie. A very happy Sukkot week to all of you!

What I'm Doing During Sukkot

I hope everyone's Sukkot is off to a great start! Ours started with a congregational gathering that was lovely, and building our sukkah (I'll share pictures later). Today's weather has been rain, which is a great reminder of how temporal a sukkah and indeed, our existence is since ours isn't waterproof! Hopefully it dries out soon.

Our culture's holidays are all one day and that's what most of us think of when we think of Scriptural based celebrations. A lot of building up to the big day and then a flurry of people, parties, rich food, and presents, and then back to work the next day. However, Sukkot is an eight day celebration and we're meant to enjoy all eight days of it! While only the first and eighth days are no-work days we should still celebrate the entire time and do things that reflect that this is a special and set apart time. Even if you are working this week take some time to enjoy this time that YHWH sanctioned as joyful.

So here's what I'm doing this Sukkot:

Spending time in the sukkah. Scripture does tell us to spend this time in a temporary dwelling. If you made a traditional sukkah or are using a camping tent or something in between, be sure you are dwelling there at least part of your day. Eating meals in the sukkah is a simple way to do something to distinguish this time from the rest of the year. It's also a great place for your Scripture study and prayer time.

Taking a trip to the farmers market. I believe in eating locally for all the normal reasons from supporting organic farmers to cutting down on fossil fuel usage, but the most significant reason to me is the understanding it gives about the word of YHWH. Scripture has deep agricultural roots from the Garden of Eden to the Olive Tree to the tree that bears fruit each month. We miss something when we don't realize that Sukkot is about celebrating the harvest. Appreciate the miracle of YHWH's provision by visiting a farm or seeing what's in season at the farmers market. Go to an orchard and pick apples or pears. Talk about how YHWH provides for our needs each season.

Praying for the Ingathering of Israel. The picture of Sukkot is celebrating the harvest of our gardens and farms. The harvest, of course, is when I go to my garden and select the good fruit and bring it to my home. YHWH promises to do the same and regather Israel (both the Northern Kingdom and the people of Judah) back to him. Prayer that His people would turn and teshuvah to him is extra special during the time of Sukkot.

Star gazing. Sukkahs are traditionally made with imperfect roofs of tree branches so the occupants can still see the stars. It is a reminder of YHWH's promise to Abraham, "Your descendants will be that many." Grab a star chart or a book on astronomy to learn more about the earthly heavens.

Listening to this song on repeat. Obviously. How do you not love Sukkos Style? I reeeeeallllly wish they would do the full song.

Giving what I can. Sukkot called for a huge offering of animal sacrifices, "beside your vows, your terumah offerings, burnt offerings, grain and drink offerings, and shalom offerings." (Number 29:12-40) Because of Yeshua we no longer need the sacrifice of animals, but I think the amount of giving YHWH expected of the ancient Israelites should tell us something. Consider giving extra to your congregation or learning of other ministries that you want to support.

Inviting friends over. This is a great chance to show others the joy of celebrating the Festivals of YHWH. Ask friends over for dinner or coffee and share what you're doing during this time. Invite your Bible study to gather in your sukkah.

Making dessert. This is a feast after all! I don't take the time to prepare fancy pastries very often but I am going to try a couple of new recipes this week. Sukkot is a joyful time and a good dessert will emphasize that and help make great memories to look back on.

What are you guys up to this week? Whatever it is, have a very happy Sukkot!