In person at the Rockford Grange, and online. Presenter: Dan Ball, piano accompanist: Susan Randolph.  Bring your well-behaved creature friends, stuffed animals, and photos, or have them with you online. We take time once a year with this ceremony to give thanks and bless our companions in life—cats and dogs, birds and chickens, turtles and fish and so much more! This is also a special time where we can remember animals that are no longer with us. You may want to bring a picture of your animal friend that you no longer have with you, and set them on a table we will have, and to light a candle in memory of them.  We will introduce our animal friends, share a bit about them, and express our gratitude and happiness towards them and toward all creatures great and small. We are also coming together to acknowledge how our lives have been blessed by our animal friends and to express our happiness and gratitude.
 
Animal blessings originate out of a Catholic tradition; however, many Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations have adopted this practice and have made it a uniquely UU type of blessing. Our seventh principle, which states that we are all a part of an interconnected web of existence, is the underlying motivation for this particular service. This ceremony also acknowledges that our lives are made fuller and richer by the creatures that inhabit the Earth with us, not just those that live with us.
 
In the Hindu religion, Kukur Tihar is an annual festival originating from Nepal which falls on the second day of the festival of Tihar (around October or November every year). On this day, people worship dogs to please Yama, the god of death, as they are considered to be his messengers. Dogs are decorated with flower garlands around their necks. Worshippers offer them various foods including meat, milk, eggs, and dog food. It is considered a sin if someone acts disrespectfully to a dog on this day. Police dogs and stray dogs are also honored. Kukur Tihar also celebrates the relationship between dogs and humans.