Many Jewish women recall being slapped across the face by their mothers when they began to menstruate. Whatever the explanation of this ritual, it has surely outlived its usefulness, if ever it had any. The question which confronts us today is how, in a religion filled with blessings, do we find a blessing for this momentous but largely unrecognized occasion?
Some women have answered this question by creating elaborate ceremonies for their daughters which they celebrated among female friends. Others have felt that such a ritual would be far too embarrassing for the already-shy adolescent. They have devised more private mother-daughter moments. Both can be found in this section of ritualwell.
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New Rituals for the Onset of Menstruation | Article
A set of suggestions for creating a Jewish celebration of menarche
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As My Daughter Bleeds, So Do I | Poem
By Valerie Root Wolpe
A poem about a daughter's onset of menses at the same time as her mother, the poet, begins menopause
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Crescent Tambourine | Ritual Component
By Judith Chalmer and Fran Solin
A tambourine ritual for the onset of menses
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From Developing Girl to Changing Woman | Complete Ceremony
By Diann L. Neu
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.
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Encountering the Divine Presence | Article
By Laura Geller
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.
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Enter: A Woman | Complete Ceremony
By Phyllis Berman
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.
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New Moon–First Moon Celebration: Welcoming Daughters into the Circle of Women | Complete Ceremony
By Shonna Husbands-Hankin
A description of a menarche ceremony created by a woman for her daughter
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Ritual of Welcoming Bodily Change | Complete Ceremony
By Rabbi Goldie Milgram
A private ritual to honor a girl's entrance into womanhood. Includes rainwater bubble bath, blessings, and teachings on sexual health and well-being.
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A Yemenite Menarche Ritual | Ritual Component
By Alana Suskin
A Yemenite menarche ritual for a mother and daughter.
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