There are 15 steps in the traditional Passover Seder. Their names form the mnemonic Seder Simanim, a Hebrew sequence that organizes the evening’s rituals from Kiddush to Nirtzah.
The order begins with Kadesh, the sanctification over the first cup, and continues through hand-washing, dipping karpas, breaking the middle matzah, retelling the Exodus, eating matzah and bitter herbs, the festive meal, the afikoman, blessings after the meal, and Hallel. Nirtzah concludes the formal sequence.
The Seder’s structure is printed in the Haggadah, the book used to guide the ceremony. The individual practices are rooted in rabbinic tradition, including the Mishnah’s discussion of the Passover meal in Pesachim 10. The 15-part mnemonic is generally associated with medieval Jewish scholars.
A common mix-up is counting the cups of wine, symbolic foods, or major narrative sections instead of the formal steps. The 15 steps are a ritual order, not 15 separate dishes or 15 required readings. Some communities combine elements in practice, but the traditional mnemonic still has 15 entries.