Naming Ceremonies
Hello! I'm in Italy on holidays, but please enjoy my guest Blogger Alexandra Harrison, a UK Celebrant (www.alexandra-celebrant.com)
Recently I have been asked to carry out two naming ceremonies for parents whose children both had difficult starts in life. Both sets of parents thought long and hard about what they wanted to call their newborn. For one family it was about the family names and traditions and for the other it was about the meaning of the name itself.
The one thing they had in common was that they both felt that actually giving the child their name in some form of ceremony was really important to them. Neither are religious but both felt that apart from life itself the name you give your child is going to be part of their identify for the rest of their
life (probably!)
So what is a naming ceremony? According to Wikipedia ‘A naming ceremony is the event at which an infant, a youth, or an adult is given a name or names. The timing can vary from mere days after birth to several months or many years afterwards’. It can also be part of a welcoming ceremony for families who are joining together or perhaps are adopting a child.
Naming ceremonies are used across all types of different religions, not just Christian. Some happen on a specific day after a child is born, for example, in Hinduism the child is named on the 12th day in a ceremony called Namkaran, and in Islam the baby is named on the 7th day by the parents.
In England, the trend is moving away from the traditional baptism. According to an article in The Guardian last September “More than half UK population has no religion”. And, of course, we have many mixed heritage families now that may wish to have a ceremony that combines different cultural aspects.
In the UK, apart from a Christening (or baptism), or other key religious naming ceremony there are two other recognised types of naming ceremonies, both led by a celebrant. A Humanist ceremony where there is absolutely no religious content or a civil ceremony which can include some religious or spiritual content if you want.
When I write a naming ceremony I like to spend time with the parents getting to know their baby/child’s story. The dreams and aspirations for their child. Who the significant adults are and what their role will be. What sort of symbolic action would they want (there are many, and you can create your own!). For example, I am performing a ceremony soon where we will blend together different colour sands to represent the unity of the family. The parents have written their own special vows and promises and the ceremony will finish with a piece of music written especially for the baby (the parents are musicians!). But you may not want anything symbolic
A naming ceremony should be about what you want for your child. To welcome them to your family and friends in a way that is right for you as a parent. But one thing is definite. They are all completely different. Unique. And this is why every ceremony is so special no matter why you have chosen to have one.
