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Paying First Respects - Infant Name-Giving Ceremonies
A Naming Ceremony is usually secular and in no way replaces or prevents families from holding a Baptism/Christening at any time. Naming a child is serious business. Naming Ceremonies for children are celebrations of a basic human right to an identity. They can welcome a child and officially introduce him/her to family and friends. Names are usually associated with specific meanings, values and traditions. I research and include the name-meanings as part of the ceremony.
Recognising Important People
Naming Ceremonies involve the important people in the child's life - family and special friends. Parents have the opportunity to ask other adults to play a supportive role to the child through to adult life (grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, older brothers and sisters, guardians, guideparents / godparents / mentors / supporters.
The Order of Service may include some or all of the following: -
Naming ceremonies are a wonderful way to welcome your child and celebrate them as they begin their journey through life. The ceremony is usually one of several parts.
- Welcome
- Statement of Belief / Desires / Wishes for Child
- Poem or Reading
- Parents’ Vows
- Guideparent / Mentor / Sponsor / Guardian Vows
- Grandparents’ Vows
- Family & Friends / Community Declaration of Support
- Additional Mini-ceremony (Candles, Sands, Wishing Cards, lighting of a candle, releasing of balloons, planting of a tree, rose blessing etc..etc)
- Meaning / History / Derivation of Names
- Name-Giving Ceremony
- Poem or Song
- Signing of Certificates and certificates are presented to parents and other special people as a record of the occasion.
Other Naming Ceremonies
- In conjunction with a marriage, especiallyfor overseas marriages or newly created surname.
- Recognition of a formal name change.
- Family Blending or Adoption,
- Returning to Maiden Name,
- Following gender change