Life Transitions

We have a number of simple ceremonies to celebrate various life transitions:

• Child Naming and Dedication
• New Member Welcoming Ceremony
• Recognition of the Wise Women
• Weddings
• Memorial Services

 

Seasonal Celebrations

We often have sermons or presentations recognizing common U.S. or international holidays. For example, we typically recognize Mother's Day, Father's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, Labor Day, the International Day of Peace, and others. We often celebrate days of significance for other cultures as well, including Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights; Chinese New Year; and Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead,.

Here are some of the other special occasions observed in our Fellowship, which are frequently celebrated by other Unitarian Universalist congregations as well.

Fall

WATER COMMUNION – sometimes the first Sunday after Labor Day. The kick-off of the church year for many congregations. The Water Communion involves congregants who have brought small amounts of water to the service, taken from special places they have been over the summer. Each person pours the water into a large bowl and tells the congregation where it is from and the meaning it has for them.

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS - Held near October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Well-behaved, leashed or kenneled animals of all sorts and their human escorts, are invited to our special Blessing of the Animals worship service. This special time gives us the opportunity to give thanks for companion animals, wildlife, and other animals upon whom we are dependent. For shy or nervous animals, people may bring a photograph, a collar, a stuffed animal, or other symbol to represent their animal friend.

UNITED NATIONS DAY – Held near the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, October 24. Unitarian Universalism’s sixth principle: “The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all” makes this a special day to observe religiously. Themes include: war and peace, international cooperation, fighting global hunger and poverty, sustainability, and global community.

Winter

WINTER SOLSTICE – usually December 21. This day has become important to both humanists and pagans, who can find common ground in celebrating this occasion, as well as Christians who recognize this is the true source of the Christmas tradition. The Winter Solstice is the turning of the year, when the days of the northern hemisphere become longer once again.

DARWIN DAY - Celebrated near the birthday of Charles Darwin, February 12, the Darwin Day Celebration was founded on the premise that science, like music, is an international language that speaks to all people in very similar ways. Charles Darwin - an Unitarian - is a wonderful symbol to celebrate science and humanity. The science of evolution, as the central organizing principle of biology and genetics shows that all humans are essentially identical and that we are genetically related to all other living things on this planet. Thus an enlightened view of evolution is one of unity and equality among all humans and also one that fosters a deeper sense of respect and appreciation for all life.

Spring

EARTH DAY—April 22. Unitarian Universalism’s seventh principle: “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part” makes this a day to celebrate religiously. Themes include: earth-centered spirituality; connecting to the divine through nature; caretaking of the environment; the interdependent web.

FLOWER COMMUNION – Variable spring date, often sometime in June. The following is quoted from a longer essay on the service, written by Reginald Zottoli: In this service, people were asked to bring a flower of their choice and place them in a vase. The flowers are consecrated, and after the service, as people leave the church, they each take a flower other than the one that they had brought.

The significance of the flower communion is that as no two flowers are alike, so no two people are alike, yet each has a contribution to make. Together the different flowers form a beautiful bouquet.

By exchanging flowers, we show our willingness to walk together in our search for truth, disregarding all that might divide us. Each person takes home a flower brought by someone else - thus symbolizing our shared celebration in community.

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See the UUA Worship Web website or more about the Unitarian Universalist Liturgical Calendar

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