First day of the month Nissan (March / April)
The Bssisa evening
According to the Holy Bible (old testament 3ed book chapter 23-3) Nissan is the first month and Passover is the 14th day, to welcome it with sweets we make the Bssisa. The Bssisa is a mixture of extra-fine grinned wheat, oats, coriander, cumin, dates, figs and cinnamon. The ritual is that on that evening all members of family the married and the singles assembles at the parents house. The father holds the bowl with the mixture and a key (house or business - for good luck) in the other, the mother pours olive oil on fathers fingers while he mixes the mixture and sais: "You (G-d) who opens (doors) without a key, spread your blessing upon us so we shell spread it on, you (G-d) opens your hands and gives without waiting for payback".
In Libyan "YA FETCHAH BLA NEFTCHAH YA ATTAI BLA MENNA IERZEK NA U IERZEK MENNA".
Than its the mothers turn to mix, the women usually put their wedding rings inside the mixture, for good luck and happy marriage.
Last night of Passover
The night of lettuce & flowers - Lillch el ches ul nuwar
The last night of Passover also called The night of lettuce & flowers, on the early afternoon hours the neighborhood bachelors, with a flower in hand, were staying back and forth the streets of the old city, while the single girls standing at the port of their house, dressed in their embroiled cloth and with their finest jewels made of gold and silver. Most of the girls preferred to dress in the traditional clothing, silk waistcoat with golden threads, siphon blouse with velvet shoulder embroided with silver (fermella) , bracelets and necklaces. The boys will approach the girls and if he likes the girl wished to get together - he would give her the flower - if the girl accepted the flower it means the she is interested and that he is welcomed to her home and meat her parents. The boys that decided to get engaged that evening sends one of the youngsters in the family with a Kertella a little basket with lettuce and flowers round it, and filled with fruit, perfumes and presents, each one as he can afford.
The Passover Lamb
In many families (including ours) it was a custom, few weeks before Passover that the father buys a lamb, I remember myself taking the lamb for a walk - during the days prior to the holiday, like a pet puppy, the special smell. And than on the Seder evening rushing to search for the Rabbi, who is also a butcher, bringing him to our house ad outside he would slaughter the lamb :-(. It was a custom to give the butcher some money and a piece of meat.
Painting the inside of the house
Every women makes her best in order to make the house as clean as possible for Passover . Painting the inside of the house, every wall and ceiling, my mother used to do it herself, now she gets some help but does it anyway. All furniture mattresses and blankets were pulled out, my parents mattress, was traditionally filled with lamb wool, and therefore ventilated and emptied, to be later refilled and sawn. The children (including myself) liked to jump on the sofas and mattresses which were placed in our garden.