Holiday guide
Passover 2027 begins on the evening of Wednesday 21 April
The seder night candle-lighting time for your city, when to stop eating chametz and when to burn it, and the dates in Israel and abroad.
Passover 2027
Seder night candle lighting in New York
7:23 PM
Wednesday 21 April · 15 Nisan
Light the candles before sunset. The seder begins after nightfall.
Second seder: candles after nightfall at 8:26 PM on Thursday 22 April.
Chametz in New York
Stop eating chametz by
10:40 AM
Wednesday 21 April
Burn the chametz by
11:47 AM
Wednesday 21 April
until the first seder's candles in New York
- In Israel, seven days and one seder: from sundown on Wednesday 21 April to nightfall on Wednesday 28 April.
- Outside Israel, eight days and two seders: from sundown on Wednesday 21 April to nightfall on Thursday 29 April.
When to search, eat and burn chametz in New York
Times are for New York. Change city
- Tuesday 20 AprilAfter nightfallSearch the house for chametz by candlelight.
- Wednesday 21 AprilBy 10:40 AMStop eating chametz.
- Wednesday 21 AprilBy 11:47 AMBurn the chametz you found, and sell what you are keeping through your rabbi before this time.
- Wednesday 21 April7:23 PMFirst seder. Light the candles before sunset, then begin the seder after nightfall.
- Thursday 22 April8:26 PMSecond seder. Light the candles after nightfall, from a flame already burning.
Chametz times count the day from sunrise to sunset, as the Gra does: the last time to eat is four hours into the day and the last time to burn is five. Some communities stop earlier, so go by your own rabbi's calendar. Candles go on 18 minutes before sunset in New York.
The second seder outside Israel
Outside Israel the seder is held on both of the first two nights. On Thursday 22 April, light the candles after nightfall, from a flame that was already burning. In New York that is 8:26 PM.
Passover ends a day later outside Israel, at nightfall on Thursday 29 April.
Passover school holiday
Tuesday 13 April to Wednesday 28 April
Classes resume on Thursday 29 April 2027.
Counting the Omer starts on the second night
The Omer is counted every night after nightfall, 49 nights in all. The first count is on the evening of Thursday 22 April, the second night of Passover, in Israel and abroad. The last is on the evening of Wednesday 9 June, and Shavuot begins at sundown the next day.
On the ground
What happens in Israel
The whole country changes over: supermarket shelves are covered, bakeries switch to matzah, and the first and last days are full public holidays with everything closed. The middle days are a national travel week.
Work is restricted on the first and last day in Israel and the first two and last two days in the diaspora. The days in between are chol hamoed, when most work is permitted.
Practice
How it is observed
- The seder on the first night (first two nights in the diaspora): the Haggadah, four cups of wine, and the afikoman
- Eating matzah and removing all chametz (leavened food) from the home
- Bedikat chametz: the candlelight search for leaven the night before
- Counting the Omer begins on the second night
"Chag Pesach sameach" or "Chag kasher v'sameach" (a kosher and happy holiday)
Matzah, charoset, maror (bitter herbs), matzah ball soup, and a week of chametz-free cooking.
Year by year
Passover dates, year by year
Every date from 2024 to 2030, computed from the Hebrew calendar. Each year has its own page with candle lighting times.
These Hanukkah gifts are drawn from the same calendars as this site.
A city's Shabbat times for 2027, the moon on the night someone was born, a bar or bat mitzvah portion, the Kinneret on a day that matters. Each one is drawn for the person you choose, then printed and shipped free.
Order by November 18 for delivery in the US before the first candle, or by November 11 for Israel.
Shabbat in your city, 2027
From $36
The moon they were born under
From $36
Their Torah portion
From $36
The Kinneret mug
From $29
The rest of the calendar
Other Jewish holidays
8 of the 14 other holidays on the Hebrew calendar, nearest date first. Every card opens a guide with dates from 2024 to 2030.
December 5, 2026
Hanukkah
The festival of lights: eight nights of candle lighting marking the rededication of the Temple. Latkes, sufganiyot and dreidels.
January 23, 2027
Tu BiShvat
The new year of the trees. Tree planting in Israel and eating the fruits of the land.
March 23, 2027
Purim
Celebrates the rescue of the Jews of Persia as told in the Book of Esther. Megillah readings, costumes, mishloach manot and festive meals.
May 4, 2027
Yom HaShoah
Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Israel a two-minute siren brings the country to a standstill.
May 11, 2027
Yom HaZikaron
Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the day before Independence Day.
May 25, 2027
Lag BaOmer
The 33rd day of the Omer count. Bonfires, weddings and celebrations at Mount Meron.
June 11, 2027
Shavuot
The festival of receiving the Torah at Sinai. All-night learning and dairy foods. Two days in the diaspora, one in Israel.
Frequently asked questions
When is Passover?+
The next Passover begins at sundown on April 21, 2027 and ends at nightfall on April 29, 2027. Because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, the Gregorian date shifts each year while the season stays fixed.
What time do you light candles for the Passover seder?+
On the first night the candles go on before sunset, as for Shabbat. Outside Israel, the candles for the second night go on after nightfall, from a flame already burning. For the first seder, on Wednesday 21 April 2027, that is 7:23 PM in New York and 6:32 PM in Jerusalem. Pick your city at the top of the page for yours.
When do you stop eating chametz before Passover?+
Stop eating chametz four hours into the morning before the first seder, and burn it by the end of the fifth hour. The search for chametz is the night before, after dark. Stop eating by 10:40 AM in New York and 10:27 AM in Jerusalem on Wednesday 21 April 2027, and burn the chametz by 11:47 AM and 11:33 AM on Wednesday 21 April 2027.
How many seders are there, and how long is Passover?+
Israel keeps one seder, on the first night, and Passover lasts seven days, to Wednesday 28 April 2027. Outside Israel there are two seders, on the first two nights, and Passover lasts eight days, to Thursday 29 April 2027.
When is the Passover school holiday in Israel in 2027?+
From Tuesday 13 April to Wednesday 28 April 2027, in kindergartens, primary, middle and high schools. Classes resume on Thursday 29 April 2027. These are the dates the Ministry of Education set for the school year.
What is Passover?+
Passover marks the Exodus from Egypt. It opens with the seder, a structured meal built around the Haggadah, four cups of wine and the retelling of the story, and continues with a week free of chametz, anything leavened.
Does Israel observe Passover differently?+
Passover is seven days in Israel with one seder, and eight days in the diaspora with two seders on the first two nights. It is the most practically significant difference in the Jewish calendar.
What is Passover like in Israel?+
The whole country changes over: supermarket shelves are covered, bakeries switch to matzah, and the first and last days are full public holidays with everything closed. The middle days are a national travel week.
Israel.com is free to use, with no paywall and no sign-up, and its readers keep it that way. Support Israel.com