Passover doesn't start until sundown next Monday, but on Sunday dozens of children gathered in an Elk Grove backyard for a "chocolate Seder."

It was gooey.

There were chocolate-covered matzahs and chocolate eggs. In place of bitter herbs, the kids ate bittersweet chocolate. Instead of wine they drank chocolate milk. Parsley? No way. They ate green M&Ms. Twix candy bars represented lamb shank bones.

Much of the chocolate melted in the warm spring sunshine. Some of the kids dived into the ritual foods too early, not waiting for the appropriate time in the Seder service. Others wound up with chocolate egg on their faces.

"Yummy!" said Heidi Grijnsztein, 7, of Elk Grove.

The point of the chocolate Seder was to began to teach young children, ages 6 months to 7 years, about the traditional Seder meal that commemorates the Jewish Exodus from ancient Egypt. In the Biblical story, the Israelites were freed from slavery after God inflicted 10 plagues on the Egyptians, forcing Pharoah to relent.

"The whole idea of the Seder is we teach our children and pass along our heritage to them," said Ardyth Sokoler, one of the organizers.

Traditional Seders can last for hours, as participants recite blessings over wine and foods that have a ritual significance.

Bitter herbs symbolize the harshness of slavery. Charoset, a sweetened mixture of fruit and nuts, represents the mortar Jewish slaves used to build Egyptian pyramids.

There may be discussions of the meaning of freedom, having empathy for those who endure oppression or for strangers in foreign lands.

"This is a really short, kid-friendly version of that," Sokoler said.

Mark Grijnsztein, a physician, watched his three children enjoy the event. "It's a fun way to incorporate the holiday and some of the rituals," he said.

The downside: the sugar crash afterward, he said.

"Chocolate Seder" was organized by members of local chapters of Hadassah, a Jewish women's service group, and The PJ Library, a national organization that provides books and educational programming to Jewish youth.

Events like the Chocolate Seder are intended to appeal to families that may not belong to a synagogue, organizers said.

"We're trying to build a community and make people feel welcome," Sokoler said.

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