Blessing of animals

Blessing of animals can be either of the animal or of the human-animal relationship, and can apply to pets and other companion animals, or to agricultural animals and working and other animals which humans depend on or interact with. Blessing of animals, or of the slaughtering process, before slaughter, is a key element of some religions. Ceremonial blessing of companion animals occurs throughout the world, for example, Australia, Canada, Scotland, Spain, and the United States.

Blessing of animals is a religious activity, and occurs broadly across most religions in some form, including, for example, across Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Shinto, Unitarian Universalism, amongst others. Secular respect for animals is also strong, for example though World Animal Day, an international day of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated annually. It is still held on 4 October, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, a Christian patron saint of animals.

Annually now, on or around October 4, Christians worldwide celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis—the conclusion of Creationtide—with a blessing of animals and prayers for creation. Catholicism and Evangelical Lutheranism have specific liturgies for the blessing of animals, highlighting creation and interdependence. United Methodists also have a specific liturgy highlighting creation and mutual interdependence. Separate variants of Christianity will sometimes combine to hold joint, ecumenical, animal blessing ceremonies, for example Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopal/Anglican churches.

Many synagogues now have ceremonies for the blessing of animals, and some say the idea may have originated in ancient Judaism. The Jewish ceremony is often performed on the seventh day of Passover (in the spring) as a celebration of the Hebrews’ (and their animals’) emancipation from slavery in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. Many Jewish congregations schedule blessings of the animals after the High Holy Days, with ceremonies around the second weekly Torah portion of the Jewish Year, the Parashat Noach, the portion about Noah and the ark, the saving of both humans and other animals, they also being gifts from God. Other Jewish ceremonies are derived from the Christian ceremony and are not derived from traditional Judaism, which gives some concern for more traditional followers of Judaism.

For meat to be kosher, a ritual blessing is required for the production area, shechita.

A Bark Mitzvah is an observance and celebration of a dog's coming of age, analogous to the Jewish traditional Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah terminology. The term has been in use since at least 1958. The bark mitzvah ceremony is not universally well regarded in Judaism.

Islamic dhabiha requires that God's name be pronounced before each slaughter.

Some towns and cities have the blessing of animals as a cultural event, for example: