Non-religious ceremonies

[DMB]

From country to country there is a big variation in what sorts of ceremonies are available, what are wanted, and what legal status they have.

I have been to both Humanist weddings and Humanist funerals. In some places you can also find baby-naming and coming-of-age ceremonies. What do people in our café think is necessary or desirable?

[Barefoot Bree]

I think that ceremonies for all life transitions are a good and desirable thing, for both the one making the transition and those around them. It says the passage is recognized and acknowledged, and celebrates it with all the pomp, sadness and/or joy that is needful.

With that in mind, I think some kind of ceremony for any transition is good: birth and death, marriage and dissolution, naming and coming-of-age, the passage of years and seasons, you name it.

The trick is to make the ceremony meaningful to the participants, without it being ridiculous, fake or cheesy.