19/01/2025
Wir machen einen weiteren Schritt in der Entwicklung unserer humanistischen Vereinigung, indem wir den vom Europäischen Netzwerk für humanistische Dienste aufgestellten STANDARD FÜR HUMANISTISCHE HOCHZEITEN unterzeichnen und uns verpflichten sie in Luxemburg zu implementieren. Die aktive Teilnahme an diesem Netzwerk wird es uns ermöglichen, auf eine unserer Zielsetzung hinzuarbeiten: die Entwicklung einer humanistischen Feierkultur ("Feiern - ohne Gott").
We are taking a next step in the development of our humanist association by signing the HUMANIST WEDDING STANDARD established by the European Humanist Services Network and pledging to implement them in Luxembourg. Actively participating in this network will allow us to work towards one of our goals: the development of a humanist culture of celebration ("Feiern - ohne Gott").
Nous faisons un pas de plus dans le développement de notre association humaniste en signant le STANDARD DE MARIAGE HUMANISTE établi par le Réseau européen des services humanistes et en promettant de les implémenter au Luxembourg. Notre participation active à ce réseau nous permettra de poursuivre l'un de nos objectifs : le développement d'une culture humaniste de célébration ("Feiern - ohne Gott").
https://humanistservices.eu/
HUMANIST WEDDING STANDARD
This standard was negotiated during 2024 by partners of the European Humanist Services Network and agreed by the EHSN CEO meeting on 21 November 2024.
Definition and legal framework:
A humanist wedding ceremony is a celebration of love, equality and mutual respect. The ceremony can be either symbolic or legally binding depending on the wishes of the marrying individuals, policies of the responsible national humanist organization and the legal framework in the respective country.
Requirements and recommendations for a humanist wedding ceremony
Requirements: To be accredited as a EHSN humanist wedding ceremony, it is required that a humanist wedding ceremony must:
- be open to all consenting adults.
- be a celebration of love, equality and mutual respect.
- be centered around the individuals being married and their life together.
- be decisively shaped by the marrying individual's desires and wishes in co-creation with an approved humanist ceremony leader.
- be in line with the humanist lifestance as defined by Humanists International in the Amsterdam declaration.
- be open to any content which can be reconciled with humanist values, and that is in line with a secular, humanist, non-religious ceremonial framework in the local context.
- be led or supervised by a ceremony leader who is a humanist, and who is approved by one of the EHSN partner organizations.
Recommendations: A humanist wedding ceremony may consist of one or more of the following elements:
- At some point during the ceremony: A sequence where the marrying individuals clearly confirm their love and allegiance to each other and their wish to share their lives together, and where their social and/or legal status as married is publicly pronounced by the ceremony leader or another participant.
- A short introduction to the core tenets of the humanist lifestance
- A speech by the ceremony leader
- Speeches by friends or relatives
- Reading of a poem or inspiring text
- One or more pieces of appropriate music, with or without lyrics, sung together or with a soloist/choir.
- Other appropriate artistic performances of any kind.
- A personal and symbolic ritual highlighting the significance of the ceremony. (definition of ritual: a voluntary action with a symbolic content, for instance lighting a candle, exchanging rings, shaking hands in the ceremony)
To be accredited as an EHSN Humanist wedding service, these requirements need to be met:
- Only wedding services offered by EHSN partner organizations are eligible for accreditation.
- The humanist wedding ceremony offered needs to comply with the requirements for humanist wedding ceremonies, specified in points 1-7.
- The responsible EHSN partner organization must have measures to make sure that all approved ceremony leaders continue to work within the EHSN-framework of humanist weddings, and impose measures to withdraw individual approval if necessary.
- The responsible EHSN partner organization must itself have, participate in, or approve of an external training program for humanist wedding ceremony leaders specified in point 20-25.
Requirements for training programs for humanist wedding ceremony leaders
The training program must:
- be taught or supervised by individuals who themselves are approved humanist wedding ceremony leaders by the national EHSN partner organization, or by some of the other EHSN partner organizations.
- provide humanist wedding ceremony leaders with good knowledge of the humanist lifestance and the framework of a humanist wedding.
- provide humanist wedding ceremony leaders with good knowledge of all the practical sides of arranging and preparing a humanist wedding ceremony.
- provide humanist wedding ceremony leaders with the skills needed to plan and lead a humanist wedding ceremony in respectful cooperation with the individuals being married.
- have examination/evaluation procedures to formally approve the candidates.
- encourage all approved humanist wedding ceremony leaders to be members of the approving, national humanist organization.
We accept the framework devised in this standard and promise to develop our humanist wedding services accordingly.
