When you have a baby, what do you think of doing to officially welcome them into the world and into your family? I am finding that people who don?t necessarily want a Christening aren?t holding any ceremony for their new additions because they never get round to it, or think it?s too much hassle to organise. Those who naturally think of a Christening as the proper initiation into the world often see a Humanist Naming Ceremony as a non-religious non-ceremony. As well as sharing my answers to some frequently asked questions, I wanted to respond to these two surprising misconceptions.
Why do people hold Naming and Welcoming ceremonies?
These ceremonies are chosen so that a baby or child can be formally and publicly welcomed into the family. They may be held upon the birth or birthday of a new family member or on the occasion of the marriage or partnership of parents, or a successful adoption.
What?s the difference between a Naming or Welcoming ceremony and a Christening?
Whereas a Christening focuses on welcoming a baby or child into the church, a Naming ceremony focuses on welcoming them into the family and lives of your loved ones. Humanism simply means human-focused, which means that the ceremony is all about you and your child, rather than about the child and God. Because it?s all about you, your ceremony can be a celebration of the strength and closeness of relationships, and a celebration of your pregnancy ? or the end of it, with a well-deserved acknowledgement of the Mother, as well as a celebration of new life and new beginnings.
What?s the difference between a Baby Shower, a Baby Naming, and a Welcome to the World party?
Baby Showers are usually held before the birth of a baby, and give the (usually female) friends of the Mother-to-be a chance to shower her with gifts for her and the baby. A Naming ceremony has the added bonus of involving the whole family, as well as the baby itself! A Naming or Welcoming ceremony may form the focal point of a Welcome to the World party. A party would usually involve speeches by parents and symbolic acts like cake cutting and gift giving so a ceremony provides the perfect opportunity for a fuller expression of everybody?s joy and hopes for the family.
Who can a Naming or Welcoming ceremony be held for?
Namings and Welcomings can be held for babies and children of any age. A ceremony can be held for multiple children whether they are siblings, or cousins, or just friends.
Can we still appoint Godparents?
You can still appoint friends or relatives to act as mentors to your child. You can choose to call these mentors Goodparents, Oddparents, Guideparents, Sparents, Supporting Adults, Special Friends, or any other appropriate name.
Where are Naming or Welcoming Ceremonies held?
Naming and Welcoming ceremonies can be held anywhere you like. They are generally held at the family home (outside if it?s warm and dry), where the baby or child will be most comfortable and feel most secure. Other good venues include:
Village Hall, Pub, Farm, Zoo, Park, Hilltop, Beach
How long does a Naming or Welcoming Ceremony last?
A Naming or Welcome ceremony can be as short as 10 minutes if you are concerned with children getting restless, or as long as 40 minutes if you decide to include lots of fun guest-participation activities within the ceremony. Ceremonies for multiple children will tend to be on the longer side 20-40 mins.
What?s involved in planning a Naming or Welcoming Ceremony?
It is the Celebrant?s job to do all the hard work for you! I provide my clients with an Ideas Generator exercise which helps to focus ideas about the feel, style, and shape of their ideal ceremony. I then make suggestions for readings, symbolic acts and even music, and draft the ceremony script based on the information I have gleaned from the initial meeting and ideas forms and my getting to know you questionnaire. There?s no need for you to trawl through hundreds of poems or websites looking for ideas and no need to feel overwhelmed by the options. I will guide you through every step of the process.
What makes Naming and Welcoming Ceremonies special?
You do. The magic happens when there is a perfect fit between how you feel about your child and the words and actions included in the ceremony. The more honest and personal the ceremony, the more meaningful it will feel for all involved. Instead of religious readings, include things like an excerpt from your pregnancy journal, your child?s favourite story book, the story of their first night at home, the baby?s horoscope. Unlike Christenings, Naming ceremonies are an opportunity to get creative and to reinforce your words with symbolic acts of your choice such as a tree planting, a first step ritual, a treasure trove of wishes and promises, burying a time capsule, or the sponsorship of another child. Finally, ceremony is not religious, ceremony is human. Humanist ceremonies embrace emotion and expression so welcome music, drama and dance recitals; a game of tug-of-war Mums v Dads; and balloons, butterflies and bubble releases all mid-ceremony should you choose!
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But in the end why bother with a ceremony at all? Does your baby?s name really need to be officially announced? Probably not. Will they remember their ceremony or care which songs are played? Perhaps not. Choose to have a Naming or Welcoming ceremony because you want one. The bottom line is, it?s a great excuse for a party!
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Source: http://jennacatleyrichardson.com/2012/03/12/naming-ceremony-why-bother/
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