• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

Nature Birthday Parties and Blessing Ways

For the 8th year in a row, we are celebrating the birth of our children at the river. The river is a big part of summer life where we live. It provides a cool respite from warm summer temperatures, in a community that lacks swimming pools, air conditioning, and half the town lives off-the-grid. The river provides entertainment for children and adults alike, and our parties our a community celebration. This is not your typical children’s birthday party; adults actually outnumber the children in attendance as it takes a village…

Our first river celebration was my Blessing Way. A Blessing Way is an alternative to a baby shower, and it is based on a Navajo tradition. My midwives led our “Humboldt eclectic” ceremony, in which I was surrounded by strong women friends (the men joined us later for food and river frolicking). Each friend brought a candle and symbol of strength for the altar, which was then set up in my home for the birth. Everyone also brought a bead, which was added to a necklace that I wore during my labor. We sang songs, told a collective angel story, and wrapped ourselves together with yarn in a circle. When the yarn was broken, each friend was wearing a piece around her arm or ankle. The yarn was not to be removed until I had given birth, and each time a friend noticed their piece of yarn, they were sent positive energy and thoughts my way. Often, these pieces of yarn will fall off on their own when it is time for the mother to give birth. My hair was lovingly braided to symbolize my new role as mother, and I was treated to a rose water foot bath and massage.

Every year, we return to the same spot on the river to celebrate the birth of our children. From the blessing ways to the birthday parties, this sacred spot on my neighbor’s land allows us to commune with nature and feel oneness with our environment. Not only are we celebrating our children’s lives, but we are celebrating the earth.

I share the story of our Blessing Ways in anticipation of not only our birthday party, but of a special series next week on Eco Child’s Play. Labor of Love will be a week full of birth stories and posts on labor from a variety of viewpoints and experiences. We will also be hosting a contest for our readers who participate in the conversation. Stay tuned until Monday, June 23 for details!

Related posts on eco-friendly birthdays:

  • A Birthday Garden
  • Getting Less to Give More
  • Rainbow Bridge Birthday

  • Low Impact Birthday Party
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Crafting a Solstice Celebration
Vegetarian Recipes for Kids »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

Plants Over Plastics! Repurpose Compostable Home Products

Convenient Plastic Container Free Dropps Laundry & Dishwashing Pods

More from the archives!

Hershey’s Chocolate is Tainted with Child Labor

Certified Natural Skin Care: Weleda Wild Rose Soothing Facial Capsules

One More Reason to Hate Wal-Mart

Who Is the Consumer Product Safety Commission?

Green Toy Giveaway Winner: Natural Pod Wooden Boat and Stairs

cbd salve joy organics

CBD Products that Actually Deliver: Joy Organics

wama hemp underwear

The Most Comfortable Underwear is Made of Hemp: WAMA Review

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy

European Toys: Old Fashioned Block Play Develops Intellect

Would H.R.20: Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act Mandate Mothers' Mental Health Tests?

Real Food for High Fiber, Low Sugar Breakfasts

Super Cool Kids Use Laptop Lunch Systems at School

New Endangered Species Poster for Kids from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

The Ethics of Eating: Vegan? Vegetarian? Omnivore?

Meditations on the First Real-Time Spanking Study

plastic in human bodies

Yes, There’s Plastic in Your Poop

How Safe is Your Sunscreen? 1500 Sunscreens Ranked for Safety, Effectiveness

ADHD

The Lead ADHD Connection

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.