Every spring, Jews from around the world gather with their family and friends to celebrate Pesach. For seven days, we eat unleavened bread and tell the story of the exodus of Israelites from slavery in Egypt. While it is customary to hold a seder, did you know that not all celebrations are the same? Below is a list of unique Pesach traditions from around the world.

• Some Moroccan Jews wear beautiful, embroidered garments to the seder called kaftans and gelabas. At the start of the seder, the head of household holds the seder plate and walks it around the room, passing it over people’s heads, quoting from the Haggadah that the Jews left Egypt in a hurry.
• Also in Morocco, some Jews also throw pebbles in the ocean to protect their loved ones from evil spirits.
• Some Moroccan Jews and certain Ashkenazi Chassidim wear white to show joy. They also act out the story of Pesach.
• In Marrakesh, some Jews cook with the wine from Elijah’s cup.
• Jewish residents in Gibraltar, Spain add brick dust to their charoset. This is meant to symbolize the mortar used by the Israelites in Egypt.
• Certain Iranian Jews spill the 10 Plagues wine in a Ziploc bag that they then discard outside the home because. This part of the seder holds a lot of weight and is felt very intensely. Some Sephardim don’t even look at the seder table at this time. However, some Syrian Jews don’t feel that way and pour all of the excess wine from the 10 Plagues into a goblet that is then given to a single woman who wants to find a spouse. This is supposed to symbolize hope and good mazel.
• In Bucharia, they serve Oshi Masozgoshak, a soup made of matzah, eggs and meat.
• Some Hungarian Jews put out gold and silver jewelry on the table.
• In Yemen, some Jews sit on cushions on the floor, using a slab of wood as a table. The matzah they eat is soft, with a consistency more similar to pita. The head of the household recites Hallel while the women roll and knead the dough. They bake it in a taboon, a circle with wood in the middle that you light on fire, which heats the metal ring surrounding it. The matzah is baked on that metal ring.
• Some Yemenite Jews also make their own wine and a special alcohol called “arak”, which is made from dates and honey.
• Certain Ashkenazi Mexican Jews eat a version of gefilte fish mixed with a Mexican sauce called “a la veracruzana.” They are made of small gefilte fish balls that are placed in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions.