I saw it posted on Chester University’s portal, where campus-based events are often advertised. These usually don’t get much more adventurous than ‘free counselling consultations’ or ‘free massage in Binks building foyer’... and as much as The Great Raymondo likes her shoulders being rubbed and her hand being held, it is only really free grub that will encourage her to make the cross-campus trek. So when I saw an advert for ‘a traditional Jewish Passover meal with symbolic food’ run by the Chaplaincy Centre, and after I had assured myself that Jewishness, Christianity and past enslavement were not prerequisites for getting my Matzah on, I pootled over to see what I could see.
It was held in a large University board room and filled with Chaplaincy folk who I had met once before during a spiritual retreat to Wales. It is headed by two Father Ians, one of whom previously (and foolishly) entrusted me with his copy of The Screwtape Letters, and the other one, not learning from his colleague’s mistake, entrusted me with the responsibility of preparing the evening’s cous-cous (I almost went to pieces under the pressure. Goodness knows how I’d react if I had to lead my people out of slavery).
Seder meals, I soon learned, are very different from the dinner parties held at Chez Raymondo. Fingers are allowed in wine (indeed, they are positively encouraged in that direction), you can eat with your hands without saying ‘scuse fingers’ and the background music is not our usual Michael Ball at the Movies or Enya’s Greatest Hits but a jolly song called Dayenu I could almost imagine conga-ing around the board table to if it wasn’t about slavery and liberation and other such solemn things.
So for all you non-Jewish people out there, here’s what goes down at a Seder Meal.
Kaddesh: Everyone says a prayer of thanks, and drinks a first glass of wine (both fun)
Ur’chatz A big bowl of water is passed round for people to wash their hands in.( V. important when one has been shelving dusty library books all day).
Karpas Everyone dips veggies in a bowl of salt water. This represents tears, and eventual renewal
Yachatz unleavened bread gets broken and passed round.
Maggid The story of the Passover is told. It’s a good ‘un. Memories of badly coloured-in pictures of locusts from Sunday school came flooding back.
Rachtzah More washing of hands and blessing (I missed this as I was frantically looking for the kettle to start preparing my cous cous).
Motzi and Matzah blessing bread (I missed this as I was preparing my cous-cous).
Maror Dipping herbs in horseradish sauce (I missed this as I was forking my cous cous to prevent clumpage).
Shulchan Orech : The meal itself. (All I'll say is the Cous Cous was delicious, but could have used a dash of olive oil). During the meal I got chatting to my neighbour Rhys, who happens to be ‘Stuff Victor’s’ biggest fan. In another small variance on the actual Last Supper, conversation centred upon Rhys’s upbringing by Trekkie parents, his Star trek Alter Ego and what Peace is in Klingon language.
An educational Wednesday all round.
| The Great Raymondo's cultural education |
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