Welcoming A New Baby

The birth of a child calls for celebration. Ethical Culture provides welcoming ceremonies for the children of members and friends. The purpose of the ceremony is for family and friends to come together around this momentous occasion to share our joy and express our responsibility to the newborn and his or her future.With the help of the Ethical Culture Leader, parents organize the ceremony. It can take place at the Ethical Culture Society in the presence of the entire community, in a home, a park or other venue. The format is improvised and usually very simple. The Ethical Culture Leader will set the tone, speaking of the joy, wonder, responsibility and need to create a human world for the child we are welcoming into the human community. Parents will speak, followed by those who wish to share their good wishes. Sometimes we recognize those special people who pledge to care for the child in case the parents cannot. Music and poetry are often components of the welcoming ceremony.