Welcoming / Naming Ceremonies
Celebrating the arrival of a new baby, a child or new step-children into your family and circle of friends is both a joyful and serious occasion. You are not only introducing them by name, you are also marking your commitment to their welfare and to them as significant people in your lives. You might also wish to take the opportunity of including older children in a ceremony if they didn’t have one when younger.
In the case of older children who have usually grown into their names, the ceremony could focus on expressing love for them and on welcoming them to their family.
The ceremony can take place anywhere, but is most often held in the home of a family member or close friend. With the help of a Humanist celebrant you can plan the ceremony that is right for your family and your situation. It can be as short or as long as you like (although the attention span and patience of small children should be kept in mind!) You can choose the words in which you, as parents, want to express your hopes and promises. You can decide whom you would like to have a special role in the ceremony – siblings, family or friends. You may also wish to choose Special Friends, Guide-Parents or even Odd Parents to act as supporting adults with a special interest in your child.
Celebrants accredited by the Humanist Association of Ireland are friendly, trained and experienced. They help to make these naming ceremonies welcoming, happy and truly memorable events. They are practiced at creating a sense of occasion and linking all the contributions you and your friends and family want to make. They can suggest poetry, prose readings and music and, of course, special ways of marking the ceremony for the child, or children, at its heart.
Follow the links if you are interested in having a Humanist Welcoming or Naming Ceremony.
In the case of older children who have usually grown into their names, the ceremony could focus on expressing love for them and on welcoming them to their family.
The ceremony can take place anywhere, but is most often held in the home of a family member or close friend. With the help of a Humanist celebrant you can plan the ceremony that is right for your family and your situation. It can be as short or as long as you like (although the attention span and patience of small children should be kept in mind!) You can choose the words in which you, as parents, want to express your hopes and promises. You can decide whom you would like to have a special role in the ceremony – siblings, family or friends. You may also wish to choose Special Friends, Guide-Parents or even Odd Parents to act as supporting adults with a special interest in your child.
Celebrants accredited by the Humanist Association of Ireland are friendly, trained and experienced. They help to make these naming ceremonies welcoming, happy and truly memorable events. They are practiced at creating a sense of occasion and linking all the contributions you and your friends and family want to make. They can suggest poetry, prose readings and music and, of course, special ways of marking the ceremony for the child, or children, at its heart.
Follow the links if you are interested in having a Humanist Welcoming or Naming Ceremony.