Setting up a Children’s Day Shrine
In Shambhala, we set up Children’s Day shrines around the winter solstice, topped with a king and a queen. They represent the royal goodness and dignity that we all possess and that we honour in our children.
The king symbolizes the fearlessness of goodness, and the queen symbolizes the gentleness of goodness.
We also include something with the four animals that represent the path of dignity—living a full, wakeful life:
Tiger is
- Friendly
- Attentive
- Powerful
- Meek
Snow lion is
- Playful
- Inquisitive
- Perky
- Leaps from peak to peak, enjoying the winter air
Garuda is
- Fearless (feels fear completely to let it pass through)
- Soars through the open sky
- Never lands
- Outrageous
Dragon is
- Wise
- Magical
- Its dance is the play of wind, water, earth and fire
- Inscrutable
We also change the seven clear bowls of water into five bowls with reminders of our five senses.
Sense perception offerings to remind us of how our senses connect us to the world:
- Mirror (sight)
- Small conch shell or miniature instrument (sound)
- Saffron water or perfume (smell)
- Candies/pastries (taste)
- Stick with a ribbon tied to it (touch)
Then, you can decorate the shrine with your favorite toys and artwork. Twinkly lights, candles, and fresh evergreen boughs can also be pretty.
What you’ll need:
- 1-3 shrine boxes (Heaven, human, and Earth tiers) – or re-do an existing shrine
- Large mirror (optional)
- Small lights (optional)
- Evergreen boughs (optional)
- Red, white, or gold satin shrine cloth
- King and Queen dolls
- Long decorations in Shambhala colors: streamers, flags, paper chains (optional)
Prepare the shrine boxes into a tiered, covered shrine based on what you have. Put the mirror behind the shrine. Decorate the mirror with lights and evergreens, if you have them.
On the top heaven tier:
- King and Queen dolls
- Sense offerings in front of King and Queen (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch from left to right)
- Candles
- Flowers
On the middle human tier:
- Animal toys or figurines
- Other precious (to the giver) offerings: handmade decorations, potted plants, home made cookies, bowls of candy, and special “treasures” such a dolls and toys.
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