Civil Celebrants in today’s society understand that a wide range of ceremonies are necessary to fulfill the needs of the average person, to add meaning and purpose to their lives and as a result to benefit society as a whole. Most celebrants conduct wedding, name giving, funeral, commitment and renewal of vows ceremonies. But there are a plethora of other ceremonies being conducted to serve the needs of people in today’s world. For example, coming of age, divorce, step parent/stepchildren acceptance, home dedication, special birthdays and anniversaries.
When you really think about it, our lives are full of ritual and ceremony in one way or another. Our calendars are punctuated with regularly occurring civic, cultural, religious and sporting events.Christmas rituals, Sabbath observances,citizenship ceremonies, Olympic games to name a few.
It was a strongly held belief of American anthropologist Joseph Campbell, that the level of civilization in a society is directly proportional to the number of ceremonies practiced in that society.
Civil celebrants re-established the performing of name giving ceremonies to fulfill the needs of many Christian people who do not or who no longer believe in infant baptism. Hence, the often used term, “secular baptism.”
Recorded history tells us that name giving ceremonies were first practiced in ancient Greek and Roman times. A child was not a member of the family until he or she had been named in a name giving ceremony by the local celebrant.
The naming ceremony is a fulfilling and meaningful experience for all concerned. It is an occasion where a new birth is celebrated and a child is welcomed into the world. Family relationships are deepened and parents become more fully aware of their responsibilities. So, too, do the grandparents, godparents/guardians/mentors.
The name giving ceremony is an excellent occasion for the cultural expression of joy, hope and acceptance. It is a cultural celebration which leaves the child to choose or not to choose baptism later in their lives. In fact, all naming ceremonies are conducted on this principle.
The ceremony reflects you as a parent, your style, feelings, aims, dreams and wishes for your child. Most often ceremonies are held in or around the home. This is in itself a meaningful expression of nurturing, love and togetherness.
Elizabeth conducts many different types of ceremonies, see for yourself:
www.thevowsbook.com – a compilation of marriage ceremonies
www.renewalofvows.net – renewal of vows ceremonies
www.spiritualceremonies.info – spiritually inspired ceremonies
www.weddingvows101.net – 101 marriage or commitment vows
www.2ndmarriageceremonies.com – second marriage ceremonies
www.gaycommitmentceremony.net – gay commitment/marriage ceremonies
www.namegivingceremonies.com – name giving/naming ceremonies
www.wedding-ceremonies.net – more marriage ceremonies
www.divorce-ceremony.com - divorce ceremonies
(Acknowledgement for portions of text in above article, “Ceremonies and Celebrations” D. Messenger III)
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