New Rituals for the Onset of Menstruation
A set of suggestions for creating a Jewish celebration of menarche
As My Daughter Bleeds, So Do I
A poem about a daughter’s onset of menses at the same time as her mother, the poet, begins menopause
Crescent Tambourine
A tambourine ritual for the onset of menses
From Developing Girl to Changing Woman
A ritual for a girl’s first period. Includes a circle of names, blessings, candle-lighting, and gift-giving. Ritual objects include a tambourine, red ribbons, a decorative egg, a ring, candles, and red fruits.
Encountering the Divine Presence
The author realizes that in a religion imbued with the idea of making ordinary moments sacred through blessing, there was no blessing for the moment of her first period. She explores how that moment would have been different had it been blessed.
Enter: A Woman
A moonlit ceremony on the shores of a brook. Celebrates the entrance of a daughter into womanhood. Includes songs, book-giving, adapted tashlich ritual, and blessings.
New Moon–First Moon Celebration: Welcoming Daughters into the Circle of Women
A description of a menarche ceremony created by a woman for her daughter
Ritual of Welcoming Bodily Change
A private ritual to honor a girl’s entrance into womanhood. Includes rainwater bubble bath, blessings, and teachings on sexual health and well-being.
A Yemenite Menarche Ritual
A Yemenite menarche ritual for a mother and daughter.
A Recollection of the First U.S. Bat Mitzvah
Mordecai Kaplan’s daughter describes her bat mitzvah in 1922 in New York.
