How to Set a Passover Table

Passover dinner, called a seder, typically occurs on the first or second night of Passover, sometimes both nights. The centerpiece of every Passover seder is the seder plate.

The seder plate typically sits in the center of the table and houses five foods, all of which symbolize different aspects of the Passover holiday.

Every seder plate should include the following:

Shank bone (zeroa), to represent the lamb that was slaughtered the night before the Jews were expelled from Egypt.

Hard-boiled, roasted egg (beitza), to represent rebirth and renewal.

Bitter herbs (maroset and chazeret), like parsley, to represent the bitterness of slavery.

Charoset (here we’re using the Hebrew, because there isn’t an equivalent English word), a sweet brown mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon, and wine, represents the clay that the Jews used to build when they were enslaved in Egypt.

Vegetable (karpas), like celery, lettuce, or, again, parsley. This is placed on the seder plate as a symbol of spring and hope.

We wrote more about why these are essential components of a seder here.

That’s all you need to set up the perfect plate, besides a plate itself! You can use any plate, but there are specialized seder plates available at many Judaica shops. While we love this one, you could also fashion your own using Ferm Living’s large speckle plate topped with their small bowls.

Now that you’ve set the ceremonial part of the table, it’s time to organize the rest.

Passover is about resilience and renewal, so we like setting a table that reflects that spring energy. Go for pastels, like the yellow speckle from Ferm’s Flow Collection (especially if you’re using our seder plate tip!), or Casafina’s Pale Pink Pacifica Dinner Set.

We love a neutral tablecloth to help highlight the colorful plates – Hawkins makes a great one. Each of their beautifully muted colors pairs beautifully with Ferm’s Savor Placemat and Atelier Saucier’s Rainbow Twill Napkins (if you’re enjoying drinks in addition to Manischewitz, the traditional wine consumed during Passover, grab the Blush Linen Cocktail Napkins from the same range).

When it comes to glassware, Ferm’s Oli Wine Glasses are a modern classic.

And there you have it! A way to set up your Passover table that’s both ceremonial and stylish.

P.S. Don’t forget to set a ceremonial place for the Prophet Elijah if you’re the one hosting!