Alternatives to Christenings

highchap

Hi,

I'm looking for ideas for an alternative to a christening. My wife is expecting a child soon and neither of us are remotely religious. We dont want to have the baby christened as its not what we believe in. Personally I wouldn't bother but my wife wants to mark the celebration in some way. Does anyone have any ideas on alternatives?

When we got married we had a humanist wedding and my wife suggested we get the humanist to do a ceremony. But at €400 for a half hour "dummy service", I'm not seeing any value.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

MagicMarker

Some people have ''naming ceremonies'' instead, however I have no idea what they are and quite honestly it's all pointless crap to me.

I suggest a BBQ.

Just have a party

robindch

highchap wrote: »

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

When snowflake and mum finished up in Holles St four and a half years ago, a bit suddenly and a day earlier than expected, I just rang around a bunch of friends + family and told them to drop along whenever suited, and to bring along anybody they wanted for an flash-party.

We got around 30 people at half an hour's notice and partied from a mid-sunday afternoon until around midnight.

Recommended!

HappyTuesday

Same suggestion as the previous ones and the many to come: Have a party. Write a speech or something if you want it to feel "official".

krudler

feed your baby another baby, shows people you mean business

amacachi

MagicMarker wrote: »

I suggest a BBQ.

You're not really helping dispel the whole "Atheists eat babies" myth.

MagicMarker

amacachi wrote: »

You're not really helping dispel the whole "Atheists eat babies" myth.

Whatever do you mean? :pac:

I like my babies raw.

Dave!

Not Christening

Pinklady11

My sister doesn't want a christening for her daughter either so she is thinking of just having a few family and friends round for a "welcome" party for the baby.

Nailz

Just have loads of people over, give the baby presents, like guns and stuff, then watch Predator.

Zombrex

MagicMarker wrote: »

Some people have ''naming ceremonies'' instead, however I have no idea what they are and quite honestly it's all pointless crap to me.

I suggest a BBQ.

To me, and please no offence to anyone who did have one, "Naming ceremonies" just sound like hippy nonsense. Perhaps they aren't but they have to get a better name (if someone comes up with one we will have a ceremony celebrating this fact at my ... doh!)

My vote would be for a BBQ as well. You had a kid, have a party. Its the advantage of being an atheists, not everything has to be dressed up in some mumbo jumbo to make it sound important. The important bit is that you had a kid, celebrate this with your friends and family. This is Ireland, no need for an convoluted excuse to PARTY!

Gregor Samsa

We were going to have a Naming Ceremony for my daughter, we even spoke to the Irish Humanist Association about having someone conduct it.

For various reasons, we dropped the idea of the ceremony, and just had a party. 60 friends and relatives, a marquee (luckily, as it pissed rain) rakes of food, and loads of drink (that oddly no one drank). I got dressed up
in my tin o' fruit and made a bit of a speech just to add an air of formality to it (my mum had passed away a few months prior, and it was the first time all her family were at the one place since her funeral, so I wanted to mark that occasion too).

A really great day was had by all.

Tim Robbins

It's all personal really but I wasn't too enamoured with the idea of a humanist naming ceremony because I saw that as a baptism of atheism / agnostic believes and I don't see what the humanist can do that one of my friends couldn't do.

Other suggestions are pretty good.

philologos

Why not just have a party with family and friends around?

Knasher

Belated birthday party.