When most Jewish families sit down for the Passover seder, it's a safe bet that
they'll eat matzo, ask the traditional Four Questions and tell the biblical
story of the Exodus from Egypt.
It's less likely that they'll be hitting one another with scallions. Or saving a bit of matzo, the unleavened Passover bread, as a talisman for travels. Or averting their eyes as the seder leader recites the 10 plagues that God inflicted upon the Egyptians.
Most American Passover traditions come from the 80 percent of Jews who trace their roots to Eastern and Central Europe in the Ashkenazi branch of Judaism. But others from the far-flung Jewish Diaspora incorporate traditions from their homelands, and they're often different from the traditional Passover fare.
The nontraditional customs frequently come from Sephardic communities -- traditionally Jews who trace their roots to Spain or Muslim countries -- and usually contain a physical element, says the Indian-born Rahel Musleah, a journalist and author of "Why on This Night?"
"In general, I think that there are certain things that Sephardi communities share, the whole idea of making (the Exodus story) more tangible," she said.
For Mojdeh Sionit, that physical element means seder participants swat each other with scallions, reminding them of the lashes that the Egyptian taskmasters inflicted on the Hebrews.
It's less likely that they'll be hitting one another with scallions. Or saving a bit of matzo, the unleavened Passover bread, as a talisman for travels. Or averting their eyes as the seder leader recites the 10 plagues that God inflicted upon the Egyptians.
Most American Passover traditions come from the 80 percent of Jews who trace their roots to Eastern and Central Europe in the Ashkenazi branch of Judaism. But others from the far-flung Jewish Diaspora incorporate traditions from their homelands, and they're often different from the traditional Passover fare.
The nontraditional customs frequently come from Sephardic communities -- traditionally Jews who trace their roots to Spain or Muslim countries -- and usually contain a physical element, says the Indian-born Rahel Musleah, a journalist and author of "Why on This Night?"
"In general, I think that there are certain things that Sephardi communities share, the whole idea of making (the Exodus story) more tangible," she said.
For Mojdeh Sionit, that physical element means seder participants swat each other with scallions, reminding them of the lashes that the Egyptian taskmasters inflicted on the Hebrews.
There is levity, though, with these modern-day
lashes, said Sionit, 36, who lives in Los Angeles after emigrating from Iran a
decade ago. "That's the fun part," she said. "We laugh a lot." For the children,
"This is the one chance of hitting someone without getting into trouble."
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