I finished burning the last bits of Chametz (leavened bread) and put out the fire. Passover was tonight and SuperM were coming for the seder. I told them to expect a long night and if it got too late for them, they could stay the night. Mark had asked if he could bring six others and I had agreed and found someone willing to lend me more chairs.
The house was completely clean except for one room that I had put all my Chametz and Chametz utensils in. I had sold the room for Passover and Baekhyun had bought it after I had explained to them that we sell the chametz we don't get rid of and it's sold back after Passover.
It was getting close to night time when the knock came on the door. SuperM came in and the six guys Mark had brought. They introduced themselves and we sat talking. After a few minutes Kai asked "Don't you usually tell us the story of the holiday?"
"That's part of the seder. You'll just have to be curious for a little longer."
Finally it was time to start. I lit the candles and said the blessing and we sat down around the table. We started with the first part, Kadaish. "We all make the blessing together this time so I'll say it word for word and you'll repeat after me." We slowly made our way through the blessing as they stumbled over the unfamiliar words, and then drank the first cup of grape juice.
Next was Urchatz. We went to wash our hands and I showed them the proper way to do it. Holding the cup in your left hand you pour twice on your right hand and then twice on your left. Then I passed around the Karpas, I used boiled potatoes, and we dipped it in the salt water and then I led them in the blessing.
After was Yachatz. In the inside of the seder plate were three matzos. I took the middle one and broke it into two and put the bigger half aside for later. "This is the afikomen. You guys have to try to steal it from me or each other. Once you steal it you can hide it. When we need it, whoever has it can bargain for a prize." A few of their eyes sparked mischievously.
Then came the part Kai was waiting for, Maggid. First Jisung asked the four questions, I had given him a korean translation, and then I read through the story of Passover.
"We were slaves in Egypt. The Egyptians were cruel. They would make women do 'men's work' and men do 'women's work'. When the brick quotas weren't filled, they would fill it by stuffing Jewish babies into the bricks. They cried out to God and God answered with the plagues." I ran to the kitchen and picked up a box before coming back.
"Who wants to be the Egyptian and who wants to be the Jew?" They all wanted to be the Jew so I had them choose and I was the Egytian. "Please Jew, give me some water. It's all turned into blood!"
Chenle, who had been chosen, giggled and poured the water from the pitcher I had handed him. The water in my cup turned red. "The Egyptians could not get water unless they paid for it."
Next, I brought out the jumping toy frogs and threw them on the table. Haechan picked one up and made it jump everywhere.
For the next plague, lice, I had some toy bugs that I distributed. Jeno suddenly jumped as Haechan grinned, a toy spider dangling in Jeno's hair. "Sit down Haechan!" Ten said and Haechan sat.
I reached back in the box and took out the stuffed bears and tigers. "The animals would attack the Egyptians but even the wild ones would calmly walk alongside the Jews", I explained. I threw them around the table and everyone got one. Taemin traded the lion he got with Mark who had gotten a pig.
Next I took out the three cows. "This is the plague of pestilence. All the animals, but those that were in the stable, died." I walked the cows down the table and suddenly stopped them and put them on their side, thinking back to when my father would do that when I was younger. They were all loving it.
I got the mega button candy and started sticking them on my face for boils before passing them out to everyone else.
For the plague of hail I had marshmallows which turned into a full scale marshmallow fight that lasted for five minutes. "I never knew marshmallows could hurt," Taeyong said, a white powder circle in the middle of his forehead.
With the locusts I had gotten chocolate covered marshmallow locust. It wasn't an actual locust, just shaped like one.
I snuck up behind Lucas and put sunglasses on him."The plague of darkness." He started pretending he was blind the rest all followed along.
Finally, for the last plague, death of the first born, I pretended to die. I am an oldest after all. "You're the oldest?" Mark asked. "You struck me more as an only child."
"I'm the oldest of six, four younger brothers and one younger sister."
"Wow," Baekhyun said. "It must have been a party."
"Sure! If being involved in the courts for your entire high school career because of your brother and him not being able to live at home for seven years because the American legal system sucks, then yes, it's a party."
"Someone's bitter," Haechan said.
"It's sexy," Jaemin remarked.
"Stop saying everything is sexy Jaemin," Renjun yelled at him. I just laughed.
"Don't worry about it guys. It's been a few years since it happened. I'm fine. Let's move on. There is more to the Passover story."
I continued telling them the story. "The Jews were finally released in the Jewish year 2448 (it is currently year 5784) and started heading to Israel but the Egyptians decided that they wanted us back. They chased after us but God split the Sea of Reeds and we walked through on dry land. The Egyptians followed but the sea fell on them and we were saved."
"Your history is so cool." Ten stated. Everyone else agreed, including me..
"It's literally they tried to kill us, we survived, they tried again, we still survived, over and over again. Now, we sing the first part of Hallel which is praise to God." I gave them a translation and sang in hebrew as they followed along the translation. When we finished we drank the second cup of grape juice.
We went to the kitchen for Rachtza to wash again the same was as before but this time, with a blessing. Then we did Motzei Matza where I said the blessing on the matza and then we ate some. This was followed by maror, the bitter herbs, dipped in sweet charoset which reminds us of the bricks we had built and then we made a korech sandwich of both matza and maror dipped in charoset.
We finally got to Shulchan Orech, the meal. I brought out chicken soup, chicken, potato kugel, and some vegetables. We ate and then it was time for Tzafun. "So who has the afikomen? The piece of matza that was set aside before."
Haechan had a gleam in his eyes as he got up and went to a room towards the back of the apartment but came back without anything. Baekhyun started laughing and pulled it out from behind him. "I want you to come to our next concert." I agreed and he gave me the afikomen. I distributed it amongst everyone.
It was already one in the morning and both Jisung and Chenle had fallen asleep. I had Mark put them in the guest room. Then I led them in the Grace After Meals followed by the third cup of grape juice and the rest of hallel and the final cup of grape juice.
Finally, it was time for Nirtza. "Next year in Jerusalem!" I sang and started teaching them some of the songs like Echad Me Yodea (Who Knows One) and die-aynu (It would have been enough). By the time we ended, Taemin, Kai, Renjun, and Haechan had fallen asleep. It was 2:30 am.
Baekhyun and Mark helped move them to the guest room and some of them laid down as well. Baekhyun was the only one to leave as everyone else was too tired. "Come back tomorrow," I told him. "The holiday isn't over yet. It lasts for eight days. There are only two sedarim though." Baekhyun nodded and headed out. I went to bed dreaming of ways to entertain them during the holiday and thinking about the next holiday as well. Lag B'omer.
A/N Happy passover!!
