New Artists
Festival of Freedom
by Oliver (13)

I call my artwork: THE PASSOVER SEDER About my artwork: The Bible tells us that thousands of years ago, an Egyptian Pharaoh made all the Jews in his kingdom slaves. Then God called Moses to help to set the Jewish people free. Moses had to go and ask Pharaoh to let the Jews leave Egypt. Pharaoh refused to listen, and so God sent a series of plagues on the Egyptians to make Pharaoh change his mind. The Plagues were: 1. All the water turned to blood 2. Frogs 3. Lice 4. Wild beasts 5. Disease amongst the cattle 6. Boils 7. Hail Storms 8. Locusts 9. Complete Darkness - and the 10th, most horrible Plague - Death to all the firstborn Egyptians. The Jews were told to mark their doors with the red blood from the lamb they were eating for dinner that night, so that the Angel of Death would pass over their homes and spare their children. During the night death came and even the Pharoah's own son died. The Pharaoh was so grief stricken that he finally agreed to let Moses lead all the Jews out of Egypt. There wasn't much time to prepare, not even enough time to let the dough rise for bread, so they ate unleavened bread as they ran to freedom. Each year, Jews celebrate the holiday of Passover - the Festival of Freedom - when they have a special meal called a SEDER and remember what God did for them, just as if they were there themselves in Egypt. What it says: In the picture I have drawn, I have shown all the things that go on the Seder table. 1.Maror - bitter herbs - such as raw horseradish which are eaten to remind the Jews of the sad and bitter time they had as slaves in Egypt. 2.Parsley - symbol of the simple foods that the Jews ate while wandering in the desert, and as a symbol of Spring. 3. Charoses - a mixture of chopped apples, nuts and wine which looks like the mortar that the Jews used to make bricks for the Egyptians when they were slaves. 4. A shank bone - a symbol of the Passover lamb that was eaten on the night of the 10th Plague. 5. A roasted egg - symbol of the second Passover offering 6.Lettuce or radish - another vegetable that gets bitter later. 7. Matzo - flat unleavened bread like that the Jews made in a hurry when they left Egypt. 8. Salt water which symbolises the tears that the Jews cried when they were slaves. During the service the lettuce and the parsley are dipped in it. 9. Wine - everybody drinks four cups during the meal and leaves a special cup out for Elijah the prophet who is supposed to visit all Seders as a sign of goodness and peace in the future, 10. The Haggadah - a Hebrew word meaning story. It is a book which contains the story of Passover, and is always read aloud at the Seder service.