|
Celebrating a Life
WHY?
Traditionally most funerals were held in churches. Today, however, with more
and more people not aspiring to any religious outlook, the choice of a Humanist
funeral is gaining in popularity.
WHERE?
Humanist funerals are generally held in a crematorium although there is no
reason why they could not be held in any other suitable venue. Sometimes
they are held in a funeral parlour (although these are often rather small)
with a short farewell at the graveside. Municipal cemeteries are available
for Humanist as well as religious burials. Humanist funerals are becoming
more and more popular as people without a religious outlook choose this option
to celebrate the life of a loved one in a very personal way.
WHAT IS HUMANISM?
Humanism is a positive ethical philosophy of life based on concern for humanity
in general and for the individual in particular. It is a view of life which
combines reason with compassion. It is for those people who base their understanding
of existence on the evidence of the natural world and its evolution, and
not on belief in a supernatural power.
WHEN?
Humanist funerals can be held at any time. In the case of a cremation it is
recommended that a Humanist ceremony should be arranged as the last cremation
of the day as it allows sufficient time for a full ceremony, unlike a cremation
following a church service.
HOW?
Humanist funerals are easy to arrange - simply make contact by email or phone
(contact details here).
Contact should be made as early as possible to allow time for one of our
accredited celebrants to meet the family and, with them, compose a meaningful
ceremony for their loved one.
WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?
At a Humanist funeral we try to balance the sense of loss with a celebration
of the life. The celebrant will work with the family to compose a ceremony
that is appropriate. Whereas the sense of loss must not be overlooked and
must be acknowledged, it should be balanced with taking the opportunity to
celebrate the life of the recently-departed loved one. Generally the celebrant
will say the opening words after which there may be contributions from family
members or from close friends. These contributions will often be of a reflective
nature, capturing the essence of the person in question. There will often
be readings, maybe of poetry, and music generally plays an important role.
At the end the celebrant will say some final words before the ceremony draws
to a close.
The above text is taken from our brochure which you may download and print if you wish.
Go back to main ceremonies page
|
About us
Download
brochure