Naming Ceremony Script

This is the script from the naming ceremony that we did with Daphne.

Here is the script as written.

TO AUDIENCE:

Hello friends and family of the Andersons. The Andersons have invited us here today to formally welcome their firstborn child into the world.

Thank you for coming to this naming ceremony. A naming ceremony’s purpose is to officially give a baby their name and to make the name known to all her friends and family. A naming ceremony has an extended purpose of presenting the baby to her community and to celebrate the arrival of a new person in that community. The parents of this baby have elected to have this ceremony in the baby’s 9th month so that she can enjoy the ceremony as well.

We gather today to bless a child,
A new life that has become part of our world.
We gather today to name this child.
To call a thing by name is to give it power,
and so today we shall give this child a gift.
We will welcome her into our hearts and lives
and bless her with a name of her own.

TO DAPHNE:

Ok baby.

Here we go. (To the child): How are you? All right. Now your name is Daphne Elle Anderson. You got that? Good. There you are. Is that ok with you? Ok. Good. Now you are suitably christened. Don’t worry about it, it could be worse. OK.

TO PARENTS:

Jared and Christine, as Daphne’s parents, you have the responsibility of raising Daphne into adulthood.

To be a parent is to love and nurture, to lead a child to be a good person.
It is to guide them along the right path and to both teach them and learn from them.
It is to rein them in, and to give them wings.
It is to smile at their joy, and weep at their pain.
It is to walk beside them, and then one day allow them to walk alone.
To be a parent is a great gift you have given yourselves, and one of the greatest responsibilities you shall ever have.

“Do you promise to take joint responsibility for the welfare of Daphne?”

“Do you promise to keep Daphne and care for her, shelter and protect her, love and support her and help her grow to independence?”

“Do you promise to respect Daphne as an individual and help her to develop her own thoughts, opinions, beliefs and values?”

“Do you promise to influence Daphne by good example rather than authoritative orders so that she learns right from wrong, truth from dishonesty?”

“Will you help Daphne to take her place as a useful and caring member of Society and help her to appreciate all that is good and worthwhile in life?”

“Do you promise to help Daphne develop physically and intellectually by encouragement rather than pressure?”

Thank you very much.

TO DAPHNE:

They’ll treat you all right.

TO AUDIENCE:

Daphne’s parents have chosen godparents, who were unable to make it today. Her godfather is Sam Silver, who Jared and Christine hope will help them guide Daphne through many new paths in life, especially sports.

Daphne’s godmother is Carrie Putterman, who has agreed to be responsible for Daphne’s religious upbringing. She couldn’t have been blessed with a better or more suitable godmother.

Daphne’s grandparents play an important role in her life. Grandparents play an important role in nurturing children, and passing down cultural values. It is Jared and Christine’s wish that they continue in this role as they have in the past.

Here’s a quote from the poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses about Apollo and Daphne:

Swift as the wind
from his pursuing feet the virgin fled,
and neither stopped nor heeded as he called;
“O Nymph! O Daphne! I entreat thee stay,
it is no enemy that follows thee--
why, so the lamb leaps from the raging wolf,
and from the lion runs the timid faun,
and from the eagle flies the trembling dove,
all hasten from their natural enemy
but I alone pursue for my dear love.
Alas, if thou shouldst fall and mar thy face,
or tear upon the bramble thy soft thighs,
or should I prove unwilling cause of pain!
“The wilderness is rough and dangerous,
and I beseech thee be more careful--I
will follow slowly--Ask of whom thou wilt,
and thou shalt learn that I am not a churl--
I am no mountain dweller of rude caves,
nor clown compelled to watch the sheep and goats;
and neither canst thou know from whom thy feet
fly fearful, or thou wouldst not leave me thus.
“The Delphic Land, the Pataraean Realm,
Claros and Tenedos revere my name,
and my immortal sire is Jupiter.
The present, past and future are through me
in sacred oracles revealed to man,
and from my harp the harmonies of sound
are borrowed by their bards to praise the Gods.
My bow is certain, but a flaming shaft
surpassing mine has pierced my heart--
untouched before. The art of medicine
is my invention, and the power of herbs;
but though the world declare my useful works
there is no herb to medicate my wound,
and all the arts that save have failed their lord.”

TO DAPHNE:

Daphne, your parents wish for you to learn from all the world around you, from your experiences and your relationships, we hope that your life takes a special path that we can help you walk.

Ok, that’s the end. That wasn’t too bad, was it?

TO AUDIENCE:

Daphne will be supported and loved by a wide circle of people.

Thank you for coming.