Obj. ID: 37668
Sacred and Ritual Objects  Passover cloth, Iraq, circa 1930

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

In the Ashkenazi tradition, the different types of symbolic foods for the celebratory Passover eve meal are placed on a dish in the center of the Festive table. These plates often contain depressions for the foods and sometimes a text that identifies them. The plate is uncovered.

In most Sephardic and Mizrachi communities, the symbolic foods are placed on a regular plate that is then covered by a large cloth. This is one such covering for the Passover Seder plate. This printed cloth contains many inscriptions and imagery that shows the Seder elements and blessings. There is a great deal of Kabbalistic interpretation involved in the printed parts of the cloth. The order of the Seder is presented on the sides, and the different foods that are to be covered by the cloth are presented with explanatory texts. The texts and symbols are printed in gold on purple polished cotton.