An anniversary is the recurrence of a date marking a notable event in our lives.
Mostly these events have spiritual significance: |
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• the bringing of love and joy
• the granting of peace and fulfillment
• the bestowing of success or gratitude
• the acknowledgement of service and sacrifice
• the honouring of courage in the face of suffering and pain
• the need for family and community support in dealing with our grief and loss
• making and honouring commitments we make to ourselves, other people, places or projects.
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Creating a special ceremony is a wonderful way to give full expression to these spiritual values.
There are a number of life's events we celebrate:
• personal ones such as our birthdays, wedding anniversaries, memorials
• natural events such as the changes of the seasons, New Year,
• social ones such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day,
• national events such as Queen's Birthday, Australia Day, ANZAC Day,
• religious ones such as Easter, Christmas, Hallow's Eve,
• cultural events such as St Patrick's |
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Here and in other places on this website, ceremonies for many of these events have been explored.
Some lightly, some in more depth.
The most common anniversaries families celebrate, besides birthdays, are wedding anniversaries.
Check out the minor headings in this category. Use the search function on this site. If you are not able to find what you need, please contact us.
Such celebrations can assist the family in:
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making the ceremony the gift (how many more "things" does one need in life?)
• recording family history which may be used later in a variety of ways
• providing a special time for family members to come together, which can be all too rare in our busy lives.
Such ceremonies may also involve music, singing, story-telling, poetry, prose
and could also involve dance, processions and the use of symbols such
as lighting candles or using Dreams & Treasure boxes.
The role of a celebrant would be to:
• work with the group to plan the ceremony for its form and content are psychologically and socially appropriate
• lead and guide the ceremony through its various stages to a fitting conclusion.
Ceremonies are usually followed by some food and drink, again
appropriate to the situation.
Depending on where such an event is held,
such a meal could be a picnic, an BYO luncheon or afternoon tea in a
community hall or catered for by an appropriate restaurant or function
centre.
Being newer ceremonies finding a celebrant to use may take a
little time.
Please contact us if you need assistance locating such a
celebrant.
If you have ideas to share about how such a ceremony could work or
suggestions for its components, please contact us
If you have been to such a ceremony and would like to share with others
the things that worked and things to avoid:
please register, then go to Forums and submit your experiences or suggestions.
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