Holiday

Monday and I'm at work -- tired, but otherwise game for the day. Tonight is the first night of Passover, and Eric and I are having a li'l Seder at home.

The first Seder I ever attended was at Eric's parents' house. It was my first time meeting Eric's family. It was a different world, alright -- big and loud in a way that didn't feel familiar to me, despite my own large family. They were a lively bunch. Their accents alone would remain a source of some interest to me for years & years.

Passover celebrates the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt and starts with a festive meal, the Seder. The food is blessed, and foods with symbolic meanings are eaten (salt water for the tears shed as a result of slavery, for instance) and there's plenty o' blessing & drinking of wine, as well.

The Haggadah is read, which tells the story of the Jews suffering and persecution in Egypt, and the ten plagues upon Egyptians sent by God. There's also sorrow for the suffering of the Egyptians, and recognition that there's still slavery in the world.

At my first Seder I sat next to Eric's brother-in-law, John, on accounta he was funny & warm & made an effort to guide my attention, so I'd know what the heck was going on. I counted the number of people ahead of me in the Haggadah reading line, and counted the participant recitations, so I'd know which paragraph I had to read. I asked John how to pronounce one of the words.

Everything about it was fascinating to me, although I tried to act cool and worldly. It wasn't just the Passover celebration, but also the New York-ness of it, the prosperity, and the shiny-chrome-mirrored-modern chicness of Eric's familial home.

Tonight it'll just be the two of us. I know that Eric will miss his family tonight, especially his father. I'll miss them, too. But we'll still do it -- say the prayers, eat the food, read many, many, participant parts. It's another holiday with Eric, which is a goodgood thing.