The word "karpas" is derived from the Greek word for "grass" or "vegetation." By Divine mandate, Passover is the spring festival and must be celebrated be-tekufat ha-aviv, when the greenery begins to sprout. It is more than a coincidence that the birth of the Jewish people and the rebirth of all of nature take place in the same month.


haggadah Section: Karpas
Source: The Passover Haggadah by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin