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What happens at a Passover seder?

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Circular diagram of the Jewish religious year showing Hebrew months around the outer ring and Gregorian months inside, with major holidays and fasts such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Passover, and Purim labeled with their dates. — Jewish religious year The months and holidays of the Jewish religious year.

A Passover seder (Hebrew for "order") is a highly structured, ritualized meal held on the first night (or first two nights) of Passover to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt.123

The ceremony follows the Haggadah, a book that guides participants through 14 or 15 distinct steps, including prayers, songs, and the retelling of the liberation from enslavement. Key elements include:423

Symbolic Foods: A seder plate displays items like maror (bitter herbs) for the bitterness of slavery, charoset (a fruit and nut mixture) representing mortar, and matzo (unleavened bread) symbolizing the haste of the departure.523
The Four Questions: The youngest child traditionally asks four questions (Ma Nishtana) about why the night is different, prompting the group to recite the story of the Exodus.23
Four Cups of Wine: Participants drink four cups of wine, representing God’s promises of redemption. A fifth cup is often set out for the prophet Elijah.23
Community: The meal is a joyful, family-oriented event that emphasizes the obligation to welcome strangers. It concludes with the hope, "Next year in Jerusalem."2