During the Pesach seder, but not during the rest of Pesach, we say b'rachot for the mitzvot of matzah and maror. (I mean the "asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav" b'rachot.) So it seems that we are only commanded in this for the night of the seder. But in the Diaspora we have two seder nights and we say these b'rachot both nights. Doesn't that mean that one of those nights is the wrong time and thus we're saying blessings in vain? Why is this ok?
Answer
Good question. The same question comes up with all the blessings regarding a second-day yom tov on the Diaspora; e.g. kiddush and shehechiyanu on the second night of Sukkot, Shavuot, and Shmini Atzeret.
Until the Jewish calendar was fixed in place (around the year 500 or so), those in the Diaspora were keeping two days, going "maybe yom tov is really Tuesday, maybe it's really Wednesday" (or whatever days of the week). However, past that point in time, the two-day-Diaspora practice became established rabbinically as the formal requirement -- "keep two days as full yom tov in the Diaspora."
So we say all the yom tov blessings because we're obligated, rabbinically, to treat it as full yom tov (or as full seder).
As for blessings in vain, the problem is saying a blessing that's not needed. Once it was established as obligatory, then it's no longer in vain! (For instance, using G-d's name for the sake of teaching how to do prayer is not "in vain", and I know of one cantorial recording that in fact does so.)
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