Naming Ceremonies
Name Giving or Welcoming Ceremonies are specifically non-religious and are perfect for families who are not aligned with any particular faith or religion.
A Naming Ceremony is a very special way of celebrating the birth of your child and welcoming the new arrival into the family and the wider community. It is also ideally suited to welcome and celebrate an adoptive child or to embrace step-children into a new family.
Most Naming Ceremonies are held in homes or gardens, but other natural settings can also be beautiful.
A typical naming ceremony might contain:
- Introduction and Welcome to guests
- Reading/Poem/Song
- Promises (can be parents, grandparents or god parents/supporting friends)
- Blessing/Reading
- Presentation of certificate and/or symbolic gift
You may wish to include your older children in the Naming Ceremony as well as your new baby. The ceremony is a perfect opportunity to declare your promises to your child in the presence of family and friends. It is also an opportunity to formally acknowledge relatives such as grandparents and other adult friends. It is nice to have supporting adults involved, allowing them to confirm their special relationship with your child and share their promises in front of you and the guests.
If you would like to talk further about a Naming Ceremony please contact me and arrange a meeting where I will provide you with sample ceremonies and ideas for readings, rituals etc.