| Get your FREE Factsheet |
Your up-to-the-minute guides to achieving optimum natural health. Hot off the press ..!
| Rising Trend for Naming Ceremonies |
Rising Trend for Naming Ceremonies
13-Jan-2011, By Alison Dewar
With changing lifestyles and the decline in traditional christenings, mum-of-two Angela Holmes explains why she chose a very different naming service for her son
At five months old, Isobel Holmes was christened in a traditional ceremony at her parents’ local Catholic church.
Just over three years later however, mum Angela and dad Jamie chose a very different service for their son Finn, opting for a non-religious naming ceremony at the hotel where they held their wedding celebrations. The decision to dispense with the religious element of the service came after Angela realised that a formal church christening no longer fitted with her family’s lifestyle.
“I was brought up as a Catholic, which was why I chose to have Isobel christened in church, and I originally planned to do the same again for Finn,” said Angela, 42, who lives in Leeds.
“I approached my church, but as I don’t attend Mass regularly they declined and, as I’m not bringing my children up in the Catholic religion or sending them to a Catholic school, I felt more and more that it wasn’t the right thing to do.
“If, when he is older, he chooses to follow the Catholic faith, then that will be something he wants to do for the right reasons and of course we’d support him in that, but it will be his decision then, instead of ours.
“We did want to welcome Finn formally into the family though, so I started to look on the Internet at some alternatives.”
Angela’s search brought her to Civil Ceremonies, the UK’s leading provider of naming ceremonies for babies and children. Since the company was launched in 2002, the number of naming ceremonies has increased rapidly year on year and thousands of parents are now choosing a non-religious service.
In contrast, statistics show that in Anglican churches in 2002, for every 1,000 children born alive, there were 181 christenings for infants up to a year old. By 2006, just four years later, this had dropped to 143. Records dating back to the turn of the twentieth century show that in 1900, the figure was much higher, at 650 per 1,000 live births.
Many parents find, like Angela, that traditional church services are no longer for them, while couples in mixed faith relationships see a naming ceremony as a special alternative to having to choose to christen their child formally in one religion or another. Indeed, although Jamie was baptised in the Church of England, he was happy that a civil naming ceremony gave Finn the chance to choose his own faith when he is older.
“Right from the start, Civil Ceremonies were really friendly and helpful,” Angela said. “They explained everything we needed to know about the service, the fact that we could either choose a classic ceremony or a bespoke one, and we were able to include readings and poetry that we wanted.
“The information pack was excellent and it was really helpful to meet the celebrant who carried out the ceremony beforehand and talk to her about the day, and how we wanted to celebrate it. We felt the service was exactly what we were looking for and we knew we were right when we had an absolutely beautiful day.”
As he turned nine months old, Angela and Jamie held Finn’s naming ceremony at Weetwood Hall, a hotel and conference centre near Leeds. Around 60 people attended, enjoying afternoon tea and cakes, complete with traditional Irish music to celebrate Angela’s Irish roots, and a children’s entertainer to keep the younger generation busy.
Whereas at christenings, the service focuses on welcoming the child into the church and religious faith, naming ceremonies concentrate on the relationship between the child and the family. It means parents, grandparents, siblings and supporting adults – the civil equivalent of godparents – all have a role to play and make promises to the child.
“Many of our friends and family had no idea what a naming ceremony was all about and they were really taken aback by how wonderful the ceremony was,” said Angela. “It was lovely because Isobel also felt very much included, I presented a gift to Finn and we had two little teddy bears for each of them.
“The grandparents loved it too, each of them made a promise to Finn and felt very proud to be able to do so. My mum said it was very special to be involved. In a church christening it’s only the godparents who participate and the grandparents all felt this was a lovely way to recognise their contribution to the family.”
Having celebrated Finn’s naming ceremony and seen how much both family and friends enjoyed the day, just over a year later Angela’s thoughts turned to whether or not she could train as a celebrant and help other families enjoy similar ceremonies.
“It was such a super day and I’d always enjoyed spending time with little ones, plus I had a teaching qualification and had been working in the training division of an investment bank, so I felt very comfortable standing up in front of people,” she said.
Angela began by looking again at the Civil Ceremonies website and in January 2009 signed up for a training course at the company’s headquarters in Cambridgeshire. Civil Ceremonies’ managing director Anne Barber led the training, which covered performing naming ceremonies, marriage renewals and commitment ceremonies. Having passed with flying colours, Angela joined the company’s team of around 200 qualified celebrants and performed her first naming ceremony a month later. She now travels regularly to perform services throughout the region.
As a mum who chose a service for her own son, she is uniquely placed to understand why the day is so special for families and provide support or guidance. She meets families beforehand to talk through their plans and says she is always touched by the special stories they have to tell.
“Families will often talk about why they want to have a naming ceremony, and it’s always wonderful to hear their stories,” she said. “In one case, a couple had been trying for six years to have a baby and were so delighted to be able to celebrate their child’s safe arrival. They later found out number two was on the way next year, so I’m already on standby for another ceremony, which is lovely news.”
As most naming ceremonies are held at weekends, Angela finds the hours fit in well with her own role as mum to Isobel and Finn, while Jamie, who works as a stockbroker during the week, takes over the childcare.
“Because I have a boy and a girl, I really want Isobel to know that mums do go out to work, just the same as daddies, and to be a good role model for her,” she said. “I love being at home, but I felt it was important for them, and especially Isobel, to realise that mummies don’t just stay at home.
“I love being able to say to her on a Saturday or Sunday that mummy is getting dressed up to go to work and she knows that’s something I do now. It works perfectly as it means Jamie gets to spend time on his own with them and I want them to feel proud of what I do as they get older.”
| Shop Janey’s Books |
Janey Lee Grace offers fabulous health and beauty tips to enrich
your life.
| Janey Loves |
This is the place
to go for all
my favourite
companies!
Read more >
| Shop Janey's Store |
Browse our
Store for all the
Best Natural deals!
Shop now! >