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A complete Seder night schedule following the traditional order — from candle lighting and Kiddush through the festive meal, Afikoman search, and closing songs.
Complete Seder schedule — 25 guests, family home
Set the table, arrange the Seder plate, prepare salt water, and lay out Haggadot
Guests arrive, find their seats, and settle in
Light candles, recite Kiddush over the first cup of wine
Ritual hand washing and dipping green vegetable in salt water
Break the middle matzah and hide the Afikoman for children to find later
Reading the Haggadah, Four Questions, plagues, and Dayenu
The 15-step Seder order can lose momentum. A timeline helps you pace the Haggadah reading so guests stay engaged and dinner arrives at the right moment.
Nobody wants cold brisket. Knowing when the Haggadah reading will end helps you time the kitchen so food is hot when Shulchan Orech begins.
With the Four Questions, Afikoman hide, and plague props all timed, kids stay part of the experience instead of drifting off before dinner.
Traditional Family Seders
Full Haggadah reading with all 15 steps and four cups of wine
First Seder Night
The primary Seder evening with extended family and close friends
Second Seder Night
A more relaxed second night Seder, often with different guests
Interfaith Passover Dinners
Inclusive Seders welcoming guests of all backgrounds to the table
Start with this template or let our AI create a custom Seder schedule tailored to your Haggadah style and guest count.
AI GeneratorRoast the shank bone and egg in the morning. Make charoset and grate horseradish before guests arrive so the plate is assembled and beautiful when everyone sits down.
Aim for 45-60 minutes for the pre-meal reading. Assign parts to different guests to keep everyone engaged. Save deeper discussion for Birkat Hamazon and after the meal.
Use toy frogs for the plagues, sunglasses for darkness, and ping pong balls for hail. Let the youngest child ask the Four Questions with practice beforehand. A good Afikoman prize motivates kids to stay alert.
Estimate when the pre-meal reading will end and work backwards. Matzah ball soup should be heated and ready to serve the moment Korech is finished and Shulchan Orech begins.
Beyond kosher-for-Passover rules, ask guests about allergies and dietary restrictions in advance. Nut-free charoset and egg-free matzah balls are common accommodations that are easy to prepare.
A traditional Seder runs 2.5 to 4 hours. The pre-meal rituals and Haggadah reading take 60-90 minutes, the meal about an hour, and post-meal songs another 30-45 minutes. Families with young children often abbreviate to 2-2.5 hours total.
Six items: zeroa (shank bone), beitzah (roasted egg), maror (bitter herbs, usually horseradish), charoset (apple-nut-wine paste), karpas (green vegetable, usually parsley), and chazeret (a second bitter herb, often romaine lettuce). Three matzot are placed separately.
The Seder is designed to engage children. The Four Questions are asked by the youngest child. Hide the Afikoman with a real prize. Use props during the plagues. Let children dip their fingers for the plagues and assign older children Haggadah reading parts.
Explain that the Seder is a storytelling meal — no prior knowledge is needed. Provide a Haggadah and brief them on the basic flow: readings, then meal, then songs. Point out which foods are symbolic versus dinner. Most guests find the experience fascinating.