My First Naming Ceremony
The first ceremony I ever officiated was the naming of my odd-daughter Tilly, more than 16 years ago. Though I didn’t know it then, this was one of the key events that set me on the path to qualifying as a naming celebrant last week.
Tilly was the eldest child of Nikki, one of my best friends. Nikki and I have known each other since I was 5 years old. When Tilly was born, we had been friends for over 30 years, but rarely saw one another as we lived in different cities and both had busy careers. So, I was beyond delighted to be asked not only to be one of the ‘special people’ in Tilly’s life, but to lead her naming ceremony.
Nikki and her partner Ben were not religious, but it felt important to them to mark the life-changing occasion of Tilly’s birth. They are not formal people, so it felt right to have Tilly’s ceremony in their own garden surrounded by Tilly’s grandparents, and special family friends. Altogether there must have been around 20 of us. Nikki and Ben wrote the ceremony themselves. It incorporated poems, special wishes for Tilly, promises of love and support from myself and Tilly’s other ‘special people’ and, as Nikki is a music lover and accomplished pianist, music. I remember wearing a fuchsia-pink dress with white spots to symbolise the joy of the occasion. The ceremony probably lasted around twenty-five minutes. Afterwards, we relaxed in the garden on a beautiful afternoon sipping drinks and nibbling nibbles. It was a wonderful day, and a truly meaningful welcome to the world for Tilly and her parents.
Tilly is nearly 17 now and a very fine young lady indeed. We don’t see each other at all frequently, but we have a lot in common and I hope that this will, in time, be the basis for us to become good friends. Like me, Tilly is the theatrical type and enjoys performing in youth theatre productions. She is probably a lot more musical than me, though, and in this sense she takes after her parents. She is friendly, outgoing and confident. It seems that many of the blessings we wished for her on her naming day have come true and I couldn’t be happier. I also couldn’t be happier about where the road to celebrancy, which began in that garden all those years ago, has led me.
If you would like to talk about how you can create a ceremony to welcome a special soul into the world, please do get in touch.
