It seems us Hebrews have a hard time getting ideas for how to decorate our homes for the feasts, so I thought I’d share this easy decoration idea that my kids and I made last year. But it’s not just easy and decorative, it’s deeply meaningful, as well.

As you can see in the pictures, it’s very simple: basically just a long piece of red cloth draped over the door frame. But while it’s simple, the impact can be very profound. My kids and I hang it together about a month before Passover, and take it down after the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The Gospel should be at the forefront of our minds and hearts, but sometimes a little physical reminder, especially at the time leading up to Passover, is useful. We are to approach Passover with circumcised hearts, prepared and clean to have this important date with the Creator. And while we physically remove leaven from our homes, it’s important we remember that no matter how much sin we remove, there will still be sin in us, which is why the grace of the cross is so glorious! Because of Yeshua’s shed blood we can be in covenant with the Father. That is the Gospel. We are to live and breathe the Gospel and it should impact every area of our lives daily. As the Feast draws near, a physical “decoration” can be a powerful tool to remind not only our children, but ourselves, of this most important truth.

I use the word “decoration” loosely. I decorate my home with lots of little goodies at feast time. But this cloth that represents the blood of the perfect, sinless Lamb, is much more than a decoration. The meaning and symbolism are rich for my family.

 

Rich meaning of the red fabric.

As you hang the red cloth that represents the blood, remind your family that each time they walk through it, or see it, they can be visually reminded that just as the Israelites were redeemed when the blood of the lamb allowed death to pass over their home, that we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Yeshua, who allowed eternal death to pass over us.

Another benefit of hanging the red cloth is that anyone who visits my home during feast time asks me about it. It’s hard to miss, and I get questions about it. It created great opportunities for sharing the Gospel, or sharing about why I celebrate Passover. Basically, it’s a nice conversation starter.

Now, this is just a tradition my family does, and it is not commanded in Scripture. Well, except that first Passover. I’m just throwing this out as an idea if anyone is looking for meaningful ways to decorate their home.

I hang mine over the door that leads from the garage into my home. (For a prettier picture, though, I hung it in my home.) We mainly use the garage door to come and go, as do my guests, so it made the most sense for us. You could do this on an outside door, such as your front door, but you’ll need to use fabric that can get wet if it’s outside.

This craft doesn’t have to cost a lot, either. I actually got my red fabric at a garage sale at a great price. Check the bargain bins at your local fabric store, or even ask around. The type of fabric doesn’t matter, (cotton, etc.), just get what you like. Mine is a satin, so it’s shiny and hangs nicely.

Please keep in mind that I’m not a crafty person. I’m quite sure you talented ladies will have ideas of how to do it better. Please leave a comment with your ideas to share with us! Seriously, I craft like I’m in third grade. Help me! 🙂

 

Putting it all together.

 

Here’s how I made the “Blood over the Doorpost” decoration:

Buy 3-6 yards of red fabric. You may use more or less fabric, depending on how big your doorway is, and how close to the ground you want it drape. Measure your doorway to be exact, and add a few extra inches to allow for some hanging “swag” at the top if you want. If the fabric you’re buying is very wide, you can cut it down the middle and sew it lengthwise. It’s about six yards around my whole door trim, going all the way to the floor. But as you can see, mine doesn’t go all the way to the floor. The fabric in my pictures is 3 yards long and 1 yard wide. You could also use wide ribbon.

Put up two hooks to hold the fabric. You can use plain old nails and hammer, or picture hangers, or even those Command Strips that can be removed. Put one at each end of the top of your door frame, at least 2-4 inches away from the door trim, and 2-4 inches above the door trim. You don’t want your fabric to hang so closely that it makes it difficult to open and close the door. Hold the fabric up with your hands to see if it’s going to work before you add your hooks to the wall.

Get the fabric ready to hang. I used rubber bands to make my fabric fit on my nails and hang nicely. I put each rubber band around the fabric at the place where I thought it should hang, and it bunched up the fabric for me as well as made a way to attach it to the hook. The correct placement took some trial and error, but it didn’t take long to have it hanging how we wanted, with equal amounts draping down either side of the door.

Hang it how you want! Easy, peasy. Careful standing on the chair!

Optional: I already have some ideas to dress this up even more. I can make some sort of fabric cover, bow or something to tie over the rubber bands so they don’t show. A white string of lights can be hung with the fabric. If you don’t want to buy fabric or ribbon, just color some cardboard or paper red with crayons or markers and tape it up. A sign of sorts could be added across the top with a Bible verse or a feast greeting. Be creative and do this however you want!

Enjoy and have a blessed Passover meal to celebrate the Savior, friends!