Unique Candle Lighting Ceremony Ideas and Songs for Your Child’s Mitzvah Celebration
The mitzvah candle-lighting ceremony is a fun and meaningful tradition to honor the special people in your child’s life. To recognize those who have positively impacted your child, the guest of honor may dedicate a candle to the individual (or group of individuals) and play a special song while the honored guests help light the candles. Not only does the candle-lighting ceremony allow for your child to turn the spotlight on their family and friends by showing appreciation for the impact they’ve had on their life, it also allows for a break within the party and helps create a natural flow and meaningful moment during the event.
Photo credit: Photography by Jen Davis - Princeton, New Jersey
It’s easy for bar and bat mitzvah candle lightings to get repetitive, so you and your child will want to work together to plan an extra-special ceremony that your guests will remember. Here are some ways to really wow your guests with a unique ceremony and mitzvah candle-lighting songs.
Unique mitzvah candle lighting ideas
1. Decorative, themed candle displays
Many mitzvah celebrations feature candlesticks in individual holders or glass votives. To make your child’s candle lighting ceremony more unique or on-theme, think outside the box and create a customizable display. Your guests will love looking at a stunning visual display of large letters with your child’s name or candle holders filled with things like marbles, gel water beads, seashells, or colored sand.
2. Sand pouring
Rather than lighting a candle, have your child give each of their honorees a designated glass or cup of colored sand. As each guest or group is called up, have them pour their sand into one bowl in the center of the table. This represents the unique bonds they share and all of their special loved ones coming together in unison.
3. Giant puzzle pieces
This option is a fun one for everyone involved. Set up a frame with a blank on a tripod for all to see, and designate a puzzle piece to each honoree. They can then come up and stick their velcro or magnetic piece to the background. The puzzle represents your child’s life thus far and shows that each honored guest is an important part of it.
4. Write a poem or perform a rap
Each person that you’d like to give the honor of lighting a candle during your mitzvah is unique. So what better way to honor them, than with a unique way of introducing each of them? Rather than a speech or story, you can take the time to make them feel special by putting together a poem or rap specific to your relationship with them. Not only will this make it more meaningful to the guest you’re honoring, but it will make it even more enjoyable to watch as a guest in the crowd, as there are many ways that you can go with the format you choose: funny, sentimental, etc.
Photo credit: Fotolux - Princeton Junction, New Jersey
Songs to play during your bar or bat mitzvah candle ceremony
The music your child chooses for each of their dedication candles can be deeply personal and special, but sometimes it’s overwhelming to choose a song. If your child is stuck, here are a few popular options for the different groups of people in their life:
Parents
Siblings
Grandparents
Aunts and Uncles
Cousins
Friends
Family Friends
Guest of Honor
Memory Candle
Photo credit: Dom Pierre Photography - New York
Venue: Rushmore Estate - Highland Mills, New York
A lot goes into making your child’s mitzvah a huge success. Start proactively preparing for this day with our mitzvah planning toolkit, complete with a realistic budget projector, a customized planning timeline, guidance on how to find the right vendors, venues, and so much more!
