Rituals come in all different formats, developed either from cultural, religious or creative symbolism. Symbols and ritual are important to any special ceremony to highlight aspects, personalise the occasion, and deepen understanding, meaning and emotional content. In a marriage ceremony, blending a family may be occurring, which would lend itself to a unity ceremony. A powerful visual and tactile ritual is represented with the sand ritual; as each member of the family pours a scoop of sand into the one shared jar, this gesture expresses merging of two families into one. Each person can have different coloured sand and take turns pouring it into a shared jar until it is full. Symbolically, no one can now separate the sand and the family is unified. This also works beautifully for any event where a gathering of support is taking place; from a coming out party to a memorial occasion.
Creating your own symbolism
Are you considering adding symbolism into your own special event? Together, we can explore symbols and rituals that will enhance your special occasion. Some might be well established within your culture, while others might be of a very personal nature. We might consider lighting candle to symbolise the presence of someone unable to be literally present, and explore pertinent music, songs, poems and readings that you might like to include.
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