Funeral Service Times August 2017 March 2019 | Page 36

36 HUMANIST CEREMONIES
A unique way to say goodbye
Nick Pineger is a funeral celebrant who works in the Peterborough area and
was trained by British Humanist Association. In this column he speaks about
a unique ceremony he was once part of
E
ach Humanist Ceremonies funeral
tribute is unique, and sometimes
a family will suggest an idea to
make their farewell even more
personal and truly ‘one of a kind’. Humanist
celebrant Nick Pineger recently conducted
a ceremony which was original, inclusive
and exceptionally moving.
“When I met the family, they said they
wanted everyone to be invited to tie a
ribbon on the coffin handles. I was a bit
worried about the time it would take as
they expected about 50 people to attend.
However, the family had planned ahead
and made a 60-minute booking, which
ensured plenty of time for a 30-minute
ceremony and the ribbon-tying,” explains
Nick.
Pre-cut ribbons were included in the
printed order of ceremony, and a suitably
long piece of music was selected to
accompany the ribbon-tying: Adigio for
Strings by Samuel Barber.
At the appropriate time, Nick invited the
congregation to follow the family to tie their
own ribbons to the coffin handles.
As Nick explains: “The really lovely
aspect was the chatting, the smiles, the
interaction of family and friends as they
came up to do this. There was a real buzz
in the air that is not at all usual in the
MARCH 2019
crematorium. It carried on as people slowly
returned to sit. It was a very beautiful and
uplifting moment in a beautiful ceremony. I
almost felt sorry that I had to stop the music
and return to the script.”
Humanists UK qualified and accredited
celebrants create and conduct individually
crafted non-religious funerals, following a
tradition of members delivering humanist
ceremonies that goes back to the 1890s.
“We have a long, proud tradition of
delivering bespoke, funeral ceremonies,”
explains Isabel Russo, head of ceremonies
at Humanists UK, “and it is very rewarding
to bring meaningful creativity into the
crematorium. Our ceremonies are non-
religious, but that’s not to say we will
always exclude religious content from our
ceremonies. Our ceremonies are inclusive,
and whilst our celebrants don’t lead or
join in acts of worship, they are happy to
accommodate silent time for reflection
and prayer. Where religious content is
requested as a cultural reflection, for
instance, because a hymn is the anthem
of a favourite rugby team, we will always
weave it into the ceremony. And, like
the ribbon-tying in the ceremony Nick
conducted, our celebrants are always
open to families inspirational and unique
suggestions for their own personal
tributes.”
Humanist Ceremonies has a network
of over 450 accredited celebrants across
England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the
Channel Isles.
www.funeralservicetimes.co.uk