Hearth Lighting Ceremonies
Mera is the goddess of many things, incuding the goddess of hearths and family. Mera veneration has more small rituals than large rituals. One very popular Mera ritual is hearth lighting ceremonies.
Essentially it is invoking Mera's blessing while formally lighting a hearth.
Execution
Normally, a hearth is lit from an ember brought from a Mera temple and a priest or priestess invokes a simple blessing on the household and those gathered.
Sometimes the priest or priestess will pass the ember to a lay person associated with the house to actually light the fire.
While this blessing is normally associated with basic homes of the peasant classes, these ceremonies are still invoked among wealthier classes.
If a house (or castle) is large enough to have more than one hearth fire, sometimes ostentatious or very Mera pious home owners will have a separate ritual for every hearth on the property, but usually a ceremony is only performed on the central hearth and then embers from the central hearth are used to light the others.
by Me with Midjourney
Components and tools
by me with Midjourney
Whether small or large, simple or ornate, every Mera temple has a central hearth or brazier dedicated to the goddess that is tended to 24 hours a day. Mera's priesthood are nicknamed Tenders of the Sacred Hearth for good reason.
It is considered disrespectful to the goddess and a bad omen to let the central hearth fire ever go out.
Embers for hearth lighting ceremonies normally come from these central temple hearths.
Observance
If a new home is built or a business based on hospitality like an inn or a tavern, it is traditional to invite one of Mera's Tenders to invoke a blessing of the Hearth goddess when the hearth fire is officially lit for the first time.
Hearth lighting ceremonies are not just for newly constructed homes. Newly married couples will often invoke Mera the first time they light their hearth as a couple in their new home, even if it's technically not a new home, it's new in the spiritual sense since the couple is starting a new family.
Very warm and welcoming tradition.