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Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
What is the Celebrant Foundation & Institute? What is a Celebrant? Celebrants officiate at all types of life-cycle ceremonies and rituals including baby namings and adoption ceremonies, coming of age ceremonies, weddings, civil unions and commitment ceremonies, funerals and memorials. Celebrants also develop ceremonies to enrich daily life and for community, corporate and civic events. The opportunities to use ceremony to create connections among neighbors and families, and for healing and celebration, are as varied as are our Celebrants. "I am a ritual maker and celebrant who designs, organizes and celebrates contemporary 'rites.'" ~ Mary Hancock, Celebrant, New Zealand How is a Celebrant Ceremony Unique? In a Celebrant ceremony, the honorees are empowered. Nothing is imposed on them. Instead, in a collaborative process, the Celebrant will guide them in choosing rituals, readings, symbols and music to fulfill their ideals and vision for their Ceremony. No two Celebrant ceremonies are the same. Celebrants are ceremony specialists who have a solid background in the history of ritual and ceremony, and the traditions of many cultures, beliefs and religions. They are experts in composing ceremonies, managing rehearsals and performing life-cycle ceremonies. Celebrants are also experienced in the art of ceremonial public speaking. Celebrant services for their honoree client(s) include:
"We wanted to thank you so much for all of the time you spent designing the perfect wedding ceremony for us. When we first started planning, we had no idea that we would end up with a personalized, beautiful ceremony.” ~ Connie & Chris What do Celebrants believe? Who should choose a Celebrant? “EVERYONE commented on how personal and different our ceremony was. It was so amazing and perfect." ~ Lauren & Dave Why use ceremony to mark life's milestones? "A culture that forgets its rites of passage eventually loses its capacity to celebrate joy and unity." ~ Michael Meade, Author Life is a journey for us all. It is a growing process. We all go through many physical stages in our lives: infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and maturity. We go through personal, sentimental and emotional stages as well: we might find a partner, build a career or have children, live through illnesses or the loss of family and friends. There is a deep human need to find some sort of stability in this ever-changing state. Since ancient times, humans have used ceremony to mark these rites of passages and create a space and place to express our humanness in all its simple glory. "We need rituals at many times, whether for healing or transformation, celebration or mourning. To learn to create our own is to empower ourselves, and this can enrich our lives immeasurably." ~ Juliet Batten, Author What are 'Rites of Passage'? Many of the important and common rites of passage are connected with the biological stages of life: birth, puberty, maturity, marriage, reproduction and death; other rites celebrate changes that are wholly cultural. These rites of passage serve to bridge critical stages in the life process and to help the individual confront certain uncontrollable aspects of the world he or she inhabits. By providing a predictable, communal context for individual experience, rites of passage act to alleviate the inevitable anxiety that accompanies change. Perhaps this subject piques your interest and you might like to join us and study to become a Certified Life-Cycle CelebrantTM in your community. We invite you to visit the Institute page on our site for details. The Celebrant Foundation & Institute’s Directors Celebrant Foundation & Institute Phone: 973.746.1792
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