Next to the High Holidays, Passover is the most widely observed Jewish holiday. Levels of observance vary, but nearly all Jews attend a Passover seder of some sort. The seder is a Jewish ceremonial dinner during which the story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt is told.
Passover begins on the 15th of the Jewish month of Nisan, right after the broadcast of "The Ten Commandments." The holiday lasts for eight days (seven in Israel), with the first two and last two days being Yom Tov, and the four middle days Chol Hamoed.
What does "Passover" mean, anyway?
As the final plague was set to take place, God instructed Moses that the Jews should put blood on their doorposts as a sign. They followed the instruction, and God passed over their homes as he killed every Egyptian first-born male. Thus the name Passover.
A wild episode, no doubt, but you'd put blood on your doorpost if you had just seen nine plagues turn Egypt upside down. (Three plagues would have been enough for us here at Zipple. We're minimalists that way.)
