Menarche Ceremony

I had no such ceremony, I think it would've embarassed my mother. She thinks such things are silly. But I see "the curse" as not simply something that beckons young girls into womanhood, but also is the source of our powers as a female being. I will definitely be giving my daughter a menarche ceremony...she's only 8, but I know it's coming up fast.
I'm planning something small, just the two of us, and I've decided to give her a gift that has meaning. It's a small trinket (won't be describing it, kind of personal!) that was given to me when I was pregnant with her. I want her to understand the gift she's been given...the ability to create life and the wisdom to know how to use it. I think this trinket is the perfect expression of that.

I had a ceremony with my daughter. She had drumming & dancing and food. I even gave her a naming ceremony, and I always refer to her by all of her names from time to time. I brought her up very culturally. I am so proud of her now! She is turning into a little me. It is so funny to see her now all grown up. She is 23. She askeed me if I wanted to go to a Goddess retreat. I couldnt stop smiling because when she was growing up she use to always tease me about my Afro-centric ways. I grew up that way, against my mother's wishes of course.

My mother, her friend next door, her daughter, and my sister (both younger than me) went out and bought me a bag full of "girly" things like lipstick, tampons, deoderant, perfume, pads, etc... The friend next door picked a "blood red" tulip for me from her front yard and they played the song 'Girl, you'll be a woman soon" when I walked into the room. It was a great way to ring in womanhood. :)

I didn't have a Menarche ceremony, but I remember my mom's best friend giving me a big hug and saying, "Welcome to the club! You're a woman now!" which is about as good a welcoming ceremony as I could have expected (if I'd known what they were), as I adored and looked up to her.

A group of girlfriends and I are putting one together for our daughters...well...their daughters for now, mine in the future! They have five girls between them, in the same age ranges, so in about 5 - 10 years we're going to be very busy - thank goodness we have a lot of time to plan. Menarche ceremonies/rituals are overlooked in our culture...your menstrual cycle is not something to be ashamed of, it's not dirty, and it doesn't need to be embarrassing to talk about. It should be something to be excited about, to be taught about in a loving manner. Girls should know what to expect, to be able to talk about their periods with a light heart, and to know that they are part of a huge interconnected network of women that they can draw strength from.

We're also putting together a yearly women's retreat for 18+ women to celebrate our own monthly cycles. We have a couple of places staked out and are putting together a ceremony to give of our bodies back to Mother Earth and the fertile energy that she needs to stay healthy, and then to renew and rejuvenate our own bodies, celebrating the differences and beauty in each of us.

I don't have a daughter (or any children) but if I did I would love to do a menarche ceremony, provided she would be okay with it. Unfortunately not a lot of people have them at all that I know of. From what I understand the Menarche Ceremony is basically a gathering of friends and family (anyone you wish to have there basically). There's food and gifts (if you choose to do gifts). I would assume that the gifts would be anything feminine related so to speak (only things appropriate for her age, of course). I hope this helped at least a little, sorry if I couldn't be much more of any help to you.

Oh God NO! I got my first monthly visit from Aunt Rose in 8th grade while I was babysitting. I recall it being a Friday night. I was ill prepared and ended up making due with a wad of toilet paper. When I got home, I was so mortified that I refused to tell anyone. I snuck a pad from the closet, and first thing the next morning, I walked 35 minutes to the store.

I spent a portion of my lunch money buying tampons at the store. I was afraid that if my mom noticed tampons and pads missing from the closet she'd question me about it. I was very private and insecure at that point in my life. I actually continued this pattern of hiding that I had my period until junior year in highschool when my little sister got hers. My mom made a fuss about her, she said she assumed I'd gotten mine, I said yes. She said ok, and that was it. In my mind I lucked out. I'm happy I didnt have a menarche or w/e their called. I handled it in my own way, and it worked for me.

I know having a period isn't a curse. I can openly talk about it now, but at that age, I just needed time to adjust to the idea. I didn't want all the attention and the fuss. If I have a daughter, I'd give her the information needed and her own stash of "girly stuff"... I wouldn't put any pressure on her to tell me. I can totally understand the need for privacy at such an important age, but I will be there if she ever needs to talk.