COEUR d'ALENE - The roughly 350 people who gathered Friday evening at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds weren't necessarily related, but for the Passover Seder Dinner, they ate together like a family.

It was the biggest year ever for Calvary Rathdrum's sixth annual Passover celebration, where parents, children, friends, aunts, uncles and complete strangers broke unleavened bread with one another and sipped grape juice from tiny cups to honor the ancient traditions.

"I think it's really cool for kids to be a part of a family meal, which doesn't really happen that much," said Luke Knight, 17, of Post Falls. "That was really cool to see, especially because there's a lot of other churches here."

Luke said he enjoys the symbolism of the event, which includes a Seder plate filled with food items that represent the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. Originally observed as a Jewish or Old Testament tradition, Passover also has deep roots and meaning in Christianity.

"It's a really awesome thing to see how Christ is in Passover," said Luke, who is a part of Calvary Rathdrum's youth leadership. "It's really interesting for me to see that way before Christ even came, it was all a picture of Christ, that's all it was. That wasn't an accident. That's something that God did on purpose; he put the picture of Christ in there, and it's just really amazing for me to see. It's really strengthening for my beliefs because it's proof, they've been celebrating it for the last 4,000 or 5,000 years. It's really strengthening for me to see that they're still celebrating it that way."

Cory Kirkham, Calvary Rathdrum's lead pastor, presented the historical significance of the Passover Seder as he described the ancient Hebrew traditions, beginning with clearing one's home of leaven and ceremonially dipping hands into a communal bowl of water before the meal.

"I love this tradition because it does remind us that God washes as well as cleanses us," Kirkham said of the hand washing.

Once the Passover rituals and Seder plate were explained, guests were served a free meal of chicken, salad, potatoes and dessert. People socialized while they ate, and the candles atop the black tablecloths provided a comfortable ambient light.

"It's kind of fun because at the end, you can make lots of new friends, and I like friends," said Halle Bauer, 10, of Newman Lake.

Halle attended the dinner with her family and helped serve food and clean up afterward. She said she enjoys the learning aspect as well as they symbolic food, "except for the horseradish."

Her mom, Laura, said the dinner helps the family understand Passover from different perspectives.

"It's a family dinner like it would have been celebrated or probably still is celebrated in Israel," she said. "It's not exactly how it's going to be celebrated by a Jewish family, but we get a better feel this way than we would really any other way."