Ten Tips on How to Give a Pet Mitzvah (Part One)
Copyright 2007 by Diana L Guerrero. All rights reserved.
This is the first of a three part article about how to celebrate a pet mitzvah—a trend that first began in the 1980s but didn’t hit popularity with mainstream society until about the mid-1990s. Bark mitzvahs are controversial in some circles but have been embraced as a way to celebrate the blessing of canine companions and to raise funds during Purim (a religious holiday in the Jewish tradition). Pop culture has adopted the trend—-throwing not just bark mitzvahs but meow mitzvahs, equine mitzvahs, and other similar celebrations.
In the Jewish tradition there is a coming of age ceremony for boys and girls. This is called a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah (respectively). Although one Rabbi saw his first critter in a tallit (prayer shawl) back in the 1970s it was actually not until the 1980s “bark mitzvahs” began to be held as fundraisers during Purim, a Jewish holiday. These were held in the “barking lots” of synagogues and other community gathering places.
However, in the mid-1990s pet owners began to celebrate their pets with not only “bark mitzvahs” but also with “meow mitzvahs,” and “equine mitzvahs.” Many of these people were not of the Jewish faith, or any particular faith at all, what happened was that the celebration became a pop culture phenomena.
For instance, Joan Rivers got plenty of media coverage when she held a “bark mitzvah” for her beloved dog, Spike. Unlike the human tradition where the event is held at the age of 13, pet mitzvahs are held at any time.
Some people hold the celebration at adolescence (around six months of age) while others figure that if pet aging is one year to every seven, then the party should be around 2 years of age, and still others celebrate when their pet hits the actual milestone of 13 years of age.
Pet mitzvahs are held in celebration of your pet, and to love and appreciation for all the great things he or she contributes to your life and also those of your friends and family. Some synagogues or pet lovers use pet mitzvahs as another way to celebrate the presence of Godin their lives.
Pet parties, such as mitzvahs, are celebrations and can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. Personally, I love the simple life but people have spent thousands of dollars on these celebrations.
In this three part series you'll find links to pet mitzvahs from around the United States. You’ll also find ceremonies and more specific hints in Blessing of the Animals: A Guide to Prayers & Ceremonies Celebrating Pets & Other Creatures
1. Determine if your pet is really a party animal.
This may sound silly but your animal should be a social creature if you are going to hold a big pet mitzvah celebration. If you pet is aggressive to other animals or not very amiable to humans—-make your celebration an intimate family affair.
Most people realize that pets are not religious but their families are and the trend of including animals in ceremonies has increased as more animals become treasured furry family members. The rise of animals invited into religious centers, businesses, and the increase in specialty services for pets are just a few indicators of how the human-animal bond has strengthened and grown.
If your pet is a party animal…well, go wild! Just make sure you set a start time and an end time. Usually a couple of hours is ample time for a pet mitzvah.
2. Decide when and why you want to hold the pet mitzvah.
The decision to hold the pet mitzvah is the easy part. Pick a date so you can determine if you will need to hold an indoor or outdoor celebration because of weather.
Part of this process will be to make a guest list because if you are going to invite a bunch of people (and/or animals) you’ll need a place that can accommodate everyone.
Also, decide why you are holding the pet mitzvah. Is it for a fundraiser for a charity or simply a reason to celebrate the fact that your pet is a blessing? Once you decide you can then narrow down the options for a location.
Continued in Ten Tips on How to Give a Pet Mitzvah (Part Two)
This is the first of a three part article about how to celebrate a pet mitzvah—a trend that first began in the 1980s but didn’t hit popularity with mainstream society until about the mid-1990s. Bark mitzvahs are controversial in some circles but have been embraced as a way to celebrate the blessing of canine companions and to raise funds during Purim (a religious holiday in the Jewish tradition). Pop culture has adopted the trend—-throwing not just bark mitzvahs but meow mitzvahs, equine mitzvahs, and other similar celebrations.
In the Jewish tradition there is a coming of age ceremony for boys and girls. This is called a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah (respectively). Although one Rabbi saw his first critter in a tallit (prayer shawl) back in the 1970s it was actually not until the 1980s “bark mitzvahs” began to be held as fundraisers during Purim, a Jewish holiday. These were held in the “barking lots” of synagogues and other community gathering places.
However, in the mid-1990s pet owners began to celebrate their pets with not only “bark mitzvahs” but also with “meow mitzvahs,” and “equine mitzvahs.” Many of these people were not of the Jewish faith, or any particular faith at all, what happened was that the celebration became a pop culture phenomena.
For instance, Joan Rivers got plenty of media coverage when she held a “bark mitzvah” for her beloved dog, Spike. Unlike the human tradition where the event is held at the age of 13, pet mitzvahs are held at any time.
Some people hold the celebration at adolescence (around six months of age) while others figure that if pet aging is one year to every seven, then the party should be around 2 years of age, and still others celebrate when their pet hits the actual milestone of 13 years of age.
Pet mitzvahs are held in celebration of your pet, and to love and appreciation for all the great things he or she contributes to your life and also those of your friends and family. Some synagogues or pet lovers use pet mitzvahs as another way to celebrate the presence of Godin their lives.
Pet parties, such as mitzvahs, are celebrations and can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. Personally, I love the simple life but people have spent thousands of dollars on these celebrations.
In this three part series you'll find links to pet mitzvahs from around the United States. You’ll also find ceremonies and more specific hints in Blessing of the Animals: A Guide to Prayers & Ceremonies Celebrating Pets & Other Creatures
1. Determine if your pet is really a party animal.
This may sound silly but your animal should be a social creature if you are going to hold a big pet mitzvah celebration. If you pet is aggressive to other animals or not very amiable to humans—-make your celebration an intimate family affair.
Most people realize that pets are not religious but their families are and the trend of including animals in ceremonies has increased as more animals become treasured furry family members. The rise of animals invited into religious centers, businesses, and the increase in specialty services for pets are just a few indicators of how the human-animal bond has strengthened and grown.
If your pet is a party animal…well, go wild! Just make sure you set a start time and an end time. Usually a couple of hours is ample time for a pet mitzvah.
2. Decide when and why you want to hold the pet mitzvah.
The decision to hold the pet mitzvah is the easy part. Pick a date so you can determine if you will need to hold an indoor or outdoor celebration because of weather.
Part of this process will be to make a guest list because if you are going to invite a bunch of people (and/or animals) you’ll need a place that can accommodate everyone.
Also, decide why you are holding the pet mitzvah. Is it for a fundraiser for a charity or simply a reason to celebrate the fact that your pet is a blessing? Once you decide you can then narrow down the options for a location.
Continued in Ten Tips on How to Give a Pet Mitzvah (Part Two)
Labels: bark mitzvah, blessing of the animals, jewish pets, pet mitzvah, purim
posted by Ark Lady at 12:05 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home