Milestone Birthdays

Birthday cake and presents are fun, but ritual adds meaning and depth to milestone birthday celebrations as we express gratitude and blessings for another year lived.

Latest Rituals

At My Birthday Party

A poem on counting the years with your grandchildren.

birthdays, grandparents, psalm

children in silhouette playing on the rocks

We All Have a Name

“We all have a name / given by the mountains we climb”

name change, naming

person standing on mountain in front of sea of clouds and sunshine

Alchemy of Blessing

“Whatever makes you weep / may it open your eyes”

birthdays

Sunlight shining over a grassy field with trees in the background, creating a warm and serene atmosphere.

Third Age Ritual

Source sheet pairing verses from Eicha with voices of immigrant parents separated from their children

aging

Older couple laughing together inside a tent, enjoying a sunny day outdoors.

Elders’ Prayer

aging

A happy couple laughing together inside a tent during the day.

Everything Is But a Moment: A Meditation on Kohelet

meditation, megillah, mourning, welcoming

Person meditating with hands in prayer pose, eyes closed, in a dimly lit yoga class.

For Sharing Divine Gifts

A poem acknowledging we each have divine gifts.

Silhouetted wildflowers against a mountain backdrop during a sunset.

A Birthday Poem of Gratitude

“I would like to bless us … To go naturally, and simply, and glowing on the face of the earth”

birthdays

Two women wearing sunglasses, taking a selfie outdoors; one holds flowers, the other a gift.

Birthdays, Jewishly

An article about the meaning of birthdays in Jewish tradition and how to make birthdays more meaningful, Jewishly

birthdays, upshirin