We dip parsley in salt water to remember our ancestor's tears. Yet the tears also hint at future redemption. The Jewish calendar is replete with contrasting combinations of bitterness and sweetness. In Israel, the day of remembrance for fallen soldiers, Yom Hazikaron, comes right before independence day,  Yom Ha'atzmaut. In a Jewish wedding, the celebration of the couple's union is immediately followed by breaking glass to commemorate the destruction of the Temple. Remembrance of times of bitterness often makes our appreciation of good times even sweeter. 

Seder means order. The karpas would not serve its purpose were we to eat it later in the meal. We eat the karpas now so that the later redemption tastes sweeter. 

Karpas reminds us that if we're feeling the bitterness in our lives, it's because the redemption is riding right on its heels.


haggadah Section: Karpas
Source: Paraphrased from David Enav