naming ceremony...

(trying this for the umpteenth time)

So the naming ceremony. First some back-story. When Bliss was 6 months old I had a naming ceremony for him. I knew I wanted to do something to welcome him to this world but as I am not Christian a baptism was not really apropos. I had liked ceremonies friends had had for their children but needed to make it my own. I also wanted to make something for him that had meaning.

I came up with the idea of making prayer flags for him. I would use materials I had saved from my childhood (I thought I would someday learn to quilt) and use that for the backing and use white canvas for the front. I am not great at sewing but back then I was much worse so I devised flags that would require no sewing. I fused to fabrics together and used pinking shears to cut out measured flags. I then put eyelets in each corner to further secure them.

I wrote a list of all the people important in out lives and then I thought about them and what I felt was a gift they had I would love them to impart on my child. I had things like spirituality, love, tolerance, giving, art and friendship. I used 3D fabric paint to write the word and then draw a representational picture or symbol of the word. For some words I used Hindi to pay tribute to half of his genes. I also used Kanji a few times.

For the ceremony I had friends gathered at a park in San Francisco for it but it began raining so we scooped up everything and ran to a friends nearby apartment. We formed a circle and different friends called a circle. As the elements were called they also hung a flag I had made with the elements as well. I remember also having soil from the burial of my first miscarriage before having Bliss with me for the earth portion of the ceremony and it had meant a lot.

Next I said a few words about how I had come up with the idea and what to do and then as I called each flag for each person I said a few words about why I had chosen that word for them. Next they all took a few moments to write a note on their flags to Bliss with fine point sharpies I had brought and then before or after tying their flags up on the rope I had strung across the apartment I asked that they touch or hold Bliss.

After all the flags were hung anyone who wanted could speak, many their had been at the birth so some spoke about that, and then we closed the circle.

It was a fun day with good friends and lots of love and laughter.

When I had Soul I knew I wanted to do something but I was so stuck trying to come up with something comparable. While talking with a friend here a couple months back she asked why not just add to what I already had and it was perfect. So I have made more flags for Soul and the people I have invited and will have another ceremony like the one Bliss had.

This time around I made nice invites too and it will also be a potluck, something we did not do last time. I will reuse the element flags and all of Bliss flags will be hung between trees in our back area. Then the friends will be adding to it with the new flags.

I made a new flag for me to Soul (feminism) and will also re-hang the sun moon and stars flags I did for Bliss' ceremony. They represent the constancy of my love for them. My flag for Bliss back then was Glitter, because it is forever as well.

So that is the ceremony. I am making Tiramisu and a trifle with a summery chicken mandarin orange rice salad and also offering white and red sangria.

I am excited and just finished the last of Soul's flags tonight. I took a picture of some of them and their backs for you to see below two pics of Bliss' flags up in his playroom from our old home.

Below those four pics is pictures of Bliss' actual ceremony.

I hope you enjoy them.




I will post pictures of her ceremony after we have it.





Oh and I also cut my hair for the ceremony to match my hair back then. Some say I am strange but I tell ya, I feel so much more like me now.