Name Giving

A fitting and festive alternative to a Christening

Independent celebrants from the Association Passaggi can help you celebrate the birth or arrival of a new child in the family – whatever form the family takes – without holding a Christening or baptism in a church. The ceremony can take many creative and personalised forms and can be held either indoors or in the open air, at the beach or in a garden or park. Naming ceremonies have the function of welcoming a newborn to the community, or embracing an older child who has arrived from a different community. Natural, adoptive, or surrogate parents, together with grandparents, take symbolic actions (writing the child’s name in the sand, lighting a unity candle, weaving coloured ribbons, etc.) and make symbolic promises to love and protect the children in their care, to contribute to nurturing their inclinations, and to help them grow into the people they want to be. The party atmosphere and the emotional appeal of the ceremony creates an unforgettable and unique event.

Got questions? We invite you to consult our FAQs or to get in touch with us — we’d love to help.

“We wanted to celebrate our baby’s arrival but we are not religious and so didn’t feel as though we could do a Christening. The naming ceremony provided us with a lovely way of welcoming Livia into our family and wider circle of friends and acknowledging how all of our lives will never be the same with her in them.”

— Francesca, Livia's mother, Rome

Vow Renewal

Renew your vows, celebrate your love

If you would like to celebrate an important anniversary, renew a commitment to someone you love, or renew a promise to someone you love after a difficult period, independent celebrants can help you create a symbolic and emotion-filled ceremony. The event can take any form the couple wants, public or private, in a place they have chosen, indoors or outdoors. The role of the celebrant is to give form and solemnity to the ceremony and to help the couple find the right words.

Got questions? We invite you to consult our FAQs or to get in touch with us — we’d love to help.

“We got married years ago the way my parents wanted, in the church with lots of people. The ceremony we had with Passaggi was the opportunity to have a dignified celebration of our love, of what we’ve gone through together, and for us to finally pronounce our vows in front of our closest friends.”

— Sandra, Terni, Umbria

Divorce

Honour the relationship that is ending giving form and ritual to the separating of your lives

You can create a ceremony that includes your children and anyone else involved in the process. Get in touch with us — we’d love to help.

Bespoke Celebration

Ceremonies for all of life's moments you wish to celebrate

You can create a ceremony to mark any event in your life: coming of age, celebrating a special friendship, an anniversary, recovering from an illness … Get in touch with us — we’d love to help.