Your name,e.g. naming, wedding & funeral celebrant

British Humanist Association

Humanist Ceremonies

The Humanist Ceremonies network

“Humanist Ceremonies™ is the network of non-religious celebrants trained, accredited, insured, and quality-assured by the British Humanist Association. We are the UK’s longest standing provider of non-religious ceremonies and provide individually prepared ceremonies to mark important occasions in life such as the arrival of a child, weddings and funerals. 97% of feedback received awards us 5/5.”

A brief introduction to Humanism

• Builds on atheism(meaning no religious faith)• A statement of what is important• “For the one life we have” • About using evidence, experience and reason to

understand the world• That we can have a good, meaningful life

without belief in god(s) • Promoting human rights and freedoms • Living cooperatively with people of other beliefs • https://humanism.org.uk

The importance of ceremony

• We all mark many milestones throughout our lives (e.g. birthdays) in a non-religious way

• Ceremony is:– natural– emotionally healthy – about community– Not necessarily connected to religion

Why humanist ceremonies?• British Humanist Association’s (BHA) remit is to express and

represent the needs of the non-religious

• Ceremony provision developed in response to a need

• Members have been conducting funerals for each other since 1890s

• Over time demand has increased dramatically and the training of celebrants has developed greatly

• BHA at the forefront of developing non-religious ceremony

The basics• ‘Celebrants’ are trained and accredited by the British Humanist

Association (BHA)

• Three main ceremony types for ‘hatches, matches and despatches’– baby namings / welcomings– weddings– funerals– some others too (e.g. renewal of vows, coming of age)

• Most ceremonies are for those who are simply not religious rather than who describe themselves as humanists

• Ceremonies are held where and when people choose – no restrictions on time/place

What is a humanist ceremony?

Our strap-line says it all:

Meaningful: sincere and honest.Non-religious: no talk of God(s), scripture, afterlife etc.Just for you: bespoke, personal with no set script.

Facts & Figures

• Approx. 300 ‘celebrants’

• Conduct around 9000 ceremonies each year

• Approximately 85% of these are funerals

• Around 750,000 people go to a humanist ceremony each year

Our three main ceremony types

• Pics of leaflets

Humanist Funerals

• About 7000 held each year (1.3% of all deaths)• Most held at crematoria but some burials • Families often find celebrant through Funeral Director• To celebrate the life lived and express grief and

sadness• But without talk of an afterlife or heaven• Perhaps the time when people are most sensitive to a

religious service feeling ‘wrong’ if inappropriate• Entirely focused on the person, their life and their

relationships

Format of a humanist funeral

Introductory musicWords of welcomeThoughts on life and death from a non-religious perspectiveThe tribute – an outline of the life and personalityof the person who has diedReadings of poetry and proseReflection – a few moments for private thoughts about the person who has died, either in silence or accompanied by music The committal – when the curtains are closed or coffin loweredClosing words – including thanks on your behalfFinal music

X’s humanist funeral

What people say about humanist funerals

“We were very nervous of deviating from 'the norm' for my husband's funeral, but many people commented that the funeral was brilliant and the best they'd ever been to.” “Everyone attending was very impressed and captivated. All our family and friends were moved to express how much they enjoyed the sympathetic and engaging delivery in the celebration of his life. I found the service very moving but also comforting.”

“The family wanted a dignified respectful ceremony and this is what we got. It was moving and loving.” “Above all expectations. Very many who attended said what an uplifting experience it had been.”

Writing a humanist ceremony

Whatever type of ceremony it is, we take the same general approach:

1. Celebrant meets the family2. Talks about what is wanted from the occasion3. Make suggestions about content, format,

contributions (e.g. songs, readings)4. Writes a bespoke ceremony5. Edits in light of feedback6. Delivers it with aplomb

The family visit

Training to become a celebrant

• Separate training for each of the three ceremony types (namings, weddings & funerals)

• Training takes place over three separate days / weekends

• Involves writing sample scripts and submission of coursework

• Then provisionally accredited• Have to then be observed within a year of

provisional accreditation

My role as a celebrant

• How people find me: website and FDs• Meeting a diverse array of people• The writing process• Juggling practical arrangements• The ceremony itself• What happens next…

Possible discussion points

• Increasingly complex ‘market’ of funeral celebrants: no need to be licensed, word ‘humanist’ isn’t solely used by BHA celebrants

• Memorial ceremonies

• Burial grounds v cremation

Any questions or comments?