Celebration of a Birth
The birth of a child is a major family event and has been celebrated in cultures throughout the world since the beginning of time. In the UK formally celebrating the birth of a child is not the exclusive domain of the church or other faiths and there are several ways one can go about this that can involve family and friends. As your celebrant I can be the steadying presence and voice amongst all the merriment, helping you both plan the event and acting as the Master of Ceremony during the celebration.
Naming Ceremony
Similar in many ways to a Christening or Child Baptism, a naming ceremony involves formally giving a child its name in front of witnesses, you can even have God parents, although in our context we call them patrons or guardians. This doesn’t stop one calling them Godparents if you so wish because it is a term we all understand and conveys very well the intended relationship with the child.
Welcome to the World
Similar to the naming ceremony but slightly less formal, Welcome to the World is an opportunity to have a celebration but with a few formal elements to give some structure to the day. In some ways it is a like a baby shower but after the happy event with family and friends gathering to welcome the new arrival and to show love and support for the parents and the baby. One of the advantages of this is that rather than having hordes of family and friends descending on your home while mum is recovering and you are both getting to know your knew addition, you can present your little one to the world at a time and place that suits you. It also gives the parents the opportunity to celebrate, something that is often overlooked or hurried when confronted with feeds, nappies, and sleepless nights.
