What’s a Naming Day or Name Day Ceremony?

If you’re religious or following family traditions,  then you may be looking to have your baby christened or baptised.

With the rise of cross-cultural marriages however, and as more and more people move away from traditions that don’t align with their beliefs, lifestyles, or values, new parents are starting to search for modern ways to celebrate the latest addition to their family.

An increasing number of parents are choosing to have a Naming Day ceremony for this very reason.

A Naming Day or Name Day is a special day to celebrate your handsome little man or special little lady and officially welcome them into the world. It generally pays particular tribute to the naming of your child, and the ceremony may include expressing and enjoying the reasons why you chose their name for them; whether their name has a symbolic meaning, was chosen in honour of a passed family member, or perhaps their naming after your favourite musician!

When it comes to the Naming Day ceremony however, the sky’s the limit. Many couples also take it as an opportunity to:

• acknowledge family and friends who will love and influence their child’s life
• publicly share special promises that they make to their child
• make and share their wishes for them
• appoint and acknowledge godparents, life guides or mentors
• celebrate the birth of their child and the express the positive ways that he or she has changed their life
• the list is endless!

Some people use a civil celebrant for a Naming Day, as they have the knowledge, experience, and equipment to create and perform ceremonies, as well as the confidence to address a crowd.

If you’re on the hunt for the perfect celebrant, be sure to tell them about your family values, and ask them what they offer to ensure the ceremony suits you and your family.

If you can’t afford a celebrant, it certainly doesn’t mean that your little one misses out!

In fact, there’s nothing legal about a naming ceremony, so as long as you have the right tools to help you create the perfect transcript, you simply need to find someone who is confident enough to read it out loud and address the crowd. It might be an Auntie, Uncle, Grandparent, or it might even be you.

There are many examples on the web of sample naming ceremony ideas which you can research to help structure what suits you.

If you’re looking for some professional advice, Celebrant and young mumma of two toddlers, Kim Oakhill has a value fueled downloadable Naming Kit that she has launched.

The downloadable Naming Kit comes complete with questionnaire, sample ceremonies, readings, poems, ritual ideas and printable certificates to inspire and enable families to create a truly awesome, memorable ceremony.

DearBub readers receive 20% off the purchase of the Naming Kit using code: DEARBUB

Kim Oakhill is Celebrant and a young Mum of two toddlers from Medowie, NSW. She can help perform Naming Ceremonies and can offer advice through her Naming Ceremony Kit. www.kimoakhill.com

#Content in this article and any associated image has been by contributed by Kim Oakhill, edited by DearBub Blog and Magazine Staff. Please apply credit if referencing this article.

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