Why Choose a Humanist Ceremony
It is natural to want to celebrate the most important events in life with a special ceremony, usually involving speech, poetry, music, song, feasting and dancing. People have always needed to mark the important times in their lives, and to commemorate the lives of people when they die.

Public celebrations of "rites of passage" are different from ordinary parties, which we often hold for events like birthdays, anniversaries or graduations - they are more focused and formal, and we usually use special language, music and places. Humanists like to celebrate too, but prefer to do so in non-religious ceremonies, where they will not find themselves saying things they do not believe.

There are no special rules or observances that non-religious people have to keep: they are not obliged to attend any kind of service, or have any ceremony beyond basic legal requirements, but there are humanist ceremonies for those who would like to mark special occasions. They are always created for the people involved, so each one is unique and personal.

Sometimes families of mixed religious beliefs choose a humanist ceremony because they can all agree on the non-religious, personal content.