The celebrant's way (blog) - Page 2 of 9 - Michael Hannah | Celebrant independent and understanding

Do-it-yourself graduation ceremonies (with celebrant!)

gillian robertson leads a private graduation ceremony in the cloisters of glasgow university — *Gillian gathers us in*

I finished my MSc in End of Life Studies at the end of 2023 and duly enrolled on the July 2024 graduation. For our School, summer graduation takes place on the Dumfries Campus, not at the main Glasgow University buildings. I was disappointed at this and decided to organize something private in Glasgow anyway.

The Dumfries Campus is pretty – very leafy and green, with some beautiful buildings. But for me it doesn’t have the historical or emotional connections that I feel in the main university area of Glasgow. So I decided I would ask my good friend and celebrant colleague, Gillian Robertson, to lead a little private ceremony. Gillian has conducted graduation ceremonies in the past and she was happy to do this with me.

It turned out that several of my fellow students were also interested in the idea. The masters course was delivered online, so we are quite a far-flung group with students from several countries. But by happy coincidence several of the Canadian students were attending a conference in Glasgow immediately before the graduation. So in all, five out of the six “Dumfries graduands” would be in Glasgow just before the main ceremony. Plus another two of the continuing students – one from Glasgow itself, the other from Portugal.

Gillian and I did an early reconnaissance trip in March to plan just where we would hold this impromptu ceremony. We earmarked the Learning Hub where we could all gather (with a café and toilets!). Then we decided we would all process over to the front of the main historic building, overlooking the Kelvin. But we also realized that we might have to be a bit flexible in dealing with the Scottish weather…

And so it turned out – decidedly wet and windy conditions kept us under cover. In the end, Gillian, Marian Krawczyk (Programme Convenor), the five students, plus family and friends gathered in the “cloisters”.

Gillian (herself a Glasgow graduate) had familiarized herself with the themes of the course, and been in touch with the students and lecturers so that she could put together a short but very appropriate and inspiring address. She also wove in some words of Maya Angelou and then invited each of to speak about the personal impact of achieving something like this (in some cases, like my own, somewhat late in life). She also delivered a message from the Director of the End of Life Studies Group and my personal supervisor, Dr Naomi Richards. And she even had beautiful gifts for us all from Gina in Mexico who had graduated last winter. (And a little “minding” from Glasgow itself.)

It was a very moving and special moment. Quite different from the more public spectacle of the main Dumfries ceremony. Much more personal and tailored to our own circumstances and the nature of the programme.

The experience underlines the variety of ceremonies and rituals that celebrants can lead. I wanted to thank Gillian for putting it together and leading it so sensitively and effectively. I’m sure she would be very happy to speak to anyone thinking about staging a private ceremony to honour academic achievements, and to find ways to make it an even more special occasion.

Michael Hannah, Broughty Ferry, July 2024

Dundee Crematorium Refurbishment – update

[Now fully reopened – as of December 2024]

*Michael Hannah and Angela Maughan at the Landmark Hotel, Dundee*

I mentioned in a previous blog that Dundee crematorium was closing for refurbishments. To be more accurate, it has closed for services – it will still continue to carry out cremations. Services will take place in the Landmark Hotel instead. At least, this is the alternative arrangement that the crematorium’s owners have put in place for the period of closure…. but people may decide to make other arrangements.

There was an “open day” today at the hotel and I went with my friend and SICA colleague, Angela Maughan. Neither of us had actually been invited or indeed informed officially about the changes …. but we heard on the grapevine, and the possibility of free coffee drew us there!

*View of the function room at Landmark Hotel*

Sadly, no coffee on offer! Just Martin, one of the chapel attendants whom Dundee celebrants will know, looking a bit forlorn. But he was extremely helpful and showed us the room. Both of us have held ceremonies in the room in the past so we weren’t completely unfamiliar with them. The room can hold just over 100 people but there is also an overflow room. I was slightly more concerned about the car park. Actually, they have allocated quite a big area for funerals – probably more car spaces than at the crematorium itself. Of course, it’s not easy to say what people might do if it is full. There aren’t many streets close by to park on. Also, as it’s a hotel, people may decide to hold a post-service tea there and that could complicate parking.

*Lectern and position of coffin at Landmark Hotel function room*

The room itself – see photos – is a bit corporate but it’s OK. Angela worked some design magic on the curtains and blinds to create a better feel! Apparently there will be Obitus, so music will work in the usual way, there will be a screen for picture tributes, and there will be a camera for live streaming. None of that was in place today but we can hope that it will be there by Thursday when the first service is held there. (And they could do with some signage to direct mourners.)

In terms of timing, they told us to keep services to the 30 minutes that was the standard at the crematorium (except of course that we sometimes get told that it’s only 20 minutes…. and some officiants seem to take as long as they want….!). There will be a bit more time though for families to get in and out.

You may be able to see a trolley in one of the photos. That is where the coffin will be placed. It can either be in situ when people enter, or brought in at the start of the ceremony. The lectern is…. basic. And very small. But we suggested having a little table to place a glass of water etc.

Committal can be either by draping the coffin in a pall cloth, or taking it out to a side room or to a hearse (this will depend on the funeral director). Of course celebrants may come up with other innovative ideas for committal rituals.

They are estimating 16 weeks for the work to be completed. But that may require a spell of dry weather (!) and for nothing to go wrong. But even by the most optimistic forecast, that means this arrangement will be in place for a long time. I think it’s highly significant that take-up seems to be slow, which suggests that people and funeral directors are already thinking differently. If that means that people get more choice – with perhaps a better experience and maybe even pay a bit less then that can be no bad thing.

Michael Hannah, Broughty Ferry, 1 July 2024

Using the staged funeral to inform

Recently I helped lead a project for SICA to stage two funerals for educational purposes. This involved us in conducting ceremonies for imagined people at Brewsterwells Crematorium near St Andrews.

*Michael leads a committal at Brewsterwells Crematorium*

I’m now starting to use the footage to help families plan funerals. It’s a great help to see the actual layout and get a visual picture of the different parts that make up a funeral. Even in this short time it has been useful to be able to show people what we mean by “committal” for example and how this can vary. It can depends on location – but also on the wishes of the family. Looking at photos of a real ceremony or even watching snippets of video is proving to be valuable.

From a local perspective, Dundee Crematorium is due to close next week (July 2024) for another set of major refurbishments. Cremations will still take place but services will be held at a hotel. While this will be a good solution for many families, it’s also possible that people may consider other places such as Parkgrove, Brewsterwells or Perth. (Especially for people who live near but not in Dundee itself.) It’s really helpful to be able to show people directly how different crematoriums look and work. The similarities and the differences.

The images are available to SICA members. But if you feel they would be useful in your work, contact us to discuss possibly sharing them.

(Photo courtesy of SICA and PhotoJenniK)

Michael Hannah, Broughty Ferry, June 2024

Dundee Crematorium – closing for refurbishments

Dundee Crematorium will close for services at the beginning of July. Cremations will still take place there, it’s just that funeral services won’t happen in the chapel. Instead, they have arranged for services to take place at the Landmark Hotel. This is quite close to the crematorium.

There is an information day on 1 July, so I will have more information after then about how it will work and can let anyone know.

But as I understand it, services will take place with the coffin in place at the hotel. The coffin will then be taken away (as a sort of committal) and driven to the crematorium.

This is actually similar to what some funeral directors are increasingly doing anyway. I have conducted funerals for William Purves and for Sturrock Comb and Davidson where there has been a funeral service held in their own rooms (both companies have venues in Broughty Ferry) with the coffin then being taken, unaccompanied by family, to Brewsterwells Crematorium. The exit of the coffin on its final journey is a moment for a respectful farewell.

The advantage of this arrangement is that the service can usually be a bit more relaxed in terms of time. Some crematoriums are notoriously strict on timing. Families may think they are booking a one-hour slot but as it takes time to get in and out, the actual time for a service shrinks to perhaps 20-30 minutes in total (it’s longer at Brewsterwells and some other newer crematoriums). Separating the service from the cremation in this way can also give more choice to the family in terms of venue. Some funeral directors have their own rooms but in theory you could hold the funeral anywhere appropriate. And perhaps save money.

The refurbishments are likely to take months so it will be interesting to see what impact this has on how funerals are conducted in Dundee and perhaps accelerate trends away from having a service in the crematorium itself.

Michael Hannah, Broughty Ferry, 22 June 2024

Exit stage left…..directing funeral literacy in Fife

I am delighted to see that the University of Glasgow End of Life Studies blog has published my post. I wrote it in collaboration with my friend and celebrant colleague Stella McCulloch (seen above to the right of me, after speaking as a “student friend of Alex”).

The article deals with our experience at the recent SICA staged funeral event at Brewsterwells Crematorium, which we held as part of Demystifying Death Week and which was supported with a grant from Good Life Good Death Good Grief and our colleagues in Agnostic Scotland.

Thank you to Dr Naomi Richards for publishing this and thank you to Good Life Good Death Good Grief for your support!

Michael Hannah, Dundee, June 17 2024

Posting for Pride – Transgender Naming Ceremonies

Rainbow on Broughty Ferry Beach — Rainbow over Broughty Ferry

At a recent SICA event, a CPD session on creative writing, I had a chat about naming ceremonies with Elaine Cormack, one of my celebrant colleagues. Of course typically, we tend to think of baby namings in a celebrant context. But as it’s LGBTQ Pride season we were also thinking about trans people and re-naming.

Because adults sometimes change their names as well. For example, in English speaking countries, women have traditionally adopted the surname of their husband. But perhaps after a divorce a woman may wish to reclaim her original name. In Spanish speaking countries, people usually have two surnames – children inherit the surnames of their father and mother. In the past, the paternal surname always came first but it is possible for an adult to reverse this. Then there are people in the entertainment business who often have “stage names”.

And one of the most important modern examples of people changing their name lies in the transgender community. Here the change in name represents a very profound statement about identity. Taking a new name can feel like a public declaration of that identity – and almost a symbolic death of the old name. Indeed trans people will often talk about “deadnaming”, that is, when people use their old name.

It is in these situations that ceremony and ritual can be helpful in transforming a private moment into a public statement, and in including and involving a person’s friends and chosen family. Elaine and I agreed that celebrants could play a role in helping people to devise a ceremony that felt right for them.

I’d love to chat to trans people who might be thinking of holding a naming ceremony. Or who have held one already and would be happy to share their experience for the benefit of others. Or indeed other celebrants who have conducted these ceremonies – here in Scotland or in other countries. I’m keen to learn more and to share knowledge and experience. Feel free to contact me to chat.

Michael Hannah, Dundee June 2024

DeathWrites Public Symposium, Glasgow

On Friday I went through to Glasgow to attend the DeathWrites Public Symposium in Adelaide Place. The DeathWrites network supports 30 Scotland-based writers from across disciplines and genres to write and publish powerful, accessible work. It’s supported by the University of Glasgow End of Life Studies Group… which is of course where I studied for my masters degree.

So although I’m not part of the network myself, I am very interested in their work. All the more so because my good friend and colleague Andy Jackson is a member of the network. Andy and I work together on the Lonely Funeral project and he read one of the poems on Friday.

It was a great evening – there was a fascinating conversation with Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, Andrés N. Ordorica and Marjorie Lotfi all of whom read some of their work. I was particularly draw to Andrés’ work, “queer liminality and questions of belonging” always being matters of great interest to me.

Then many of the other members of the network read pieces. I especially loved the work of Angie Spoto – an unsettling but beautiful fairy tale.

I don’t seem to get out much in the evening these days! So it was a special pleasure to have a day in Glasgow and, coming so soon after the SICA creative writing day, really reinforced the investment I’m trying to make in my own creativity and writing at the moment. And a great chance to meet some friends – Marian Krawczyk, Naomi Richards and Carrie Foulkes from the End of Life Studies group. Andy of course. And my friend and fellow celebrant, Stella McCulloch.

Many thanks to Naomi and everyone who helped organize the evening.

Michael Hannah, Broughty Ferry, 9 June 2024

SICA Creative Writing Workshop

Yesterday I was delighted to attend one of the Scottish Independent Celebrants’ professional development sessions – a creative writing workshop. Nine celebrants gathered at the beautiful Subud Centre in Perth for what was a bit of a departure for SICA. Most of our CPD sessions are quite short, focussed on one topic, and held on Zoom. But yesterday we all got together in person and spent the best part of the day writing.

We’d asked Beth McDonough, a former university of Dundee lecturer in creative writing and a published poet, to lead the session, along with SICA member Fiona Beeley. Together they devised a programme designed to help us unlock our creativity – or help the people we work with to unlock theirs. We focussed on funerals in the morning and then after lunch turned to weddings, blessings and other sorts of ceremonies. It was a strictly low tech day – no powerpoint, no slideshows, no fiddling with projectors, no laptops (though I was impressed with Helen Parker’s reMarkable table!).

It was an inspiring day, not least because when we get together we always network, make connections and share ideas. Hopefully this will be the first of many other sessions.

And one bonus for me was chatting to Mirabelle of the Subud Centre itself. She was interested in our work and wondered if we might use their centre not just for training but for actual ceremonies. I think it would make a beautiful setting for all sorts of small intimate gatherings. Memorials, namings, blessings. And I think even a funeral ceremony would be possible if linked to a burial or direct cremation. Always good to have options to suggest to families.

Michael Hannah, 26 May 2024 – contact me here.

Happy Birthday Brewsterwells!

Brewsterwells Crematorium is two years old! I’m very pleased to send best wishes to Jake and the team as well as to the owners and directors. I’ve always found it a very good place to work – more relaxed than many crematoriums but always completely professional. The light airy interior and the beautiful setting really help to dispel a lot of the anxiety that people understandably feel when visiting a crematorium. It is situated just a few miles from St Andrews and is really convenient for people across Fife and Dundee.

I worked there most recently when SICA held a staged funeral event as part of its Demystifying Death Week activities. The staff could not have been more helpful and accommodating.

Thanks again and very best wishes – looking forward to the next two years!

Michael Hannah, Broughty Ferry, May 2024

Demystifying Death Week – SICA staged funerals

The initiative Good Life Good Death Good Grief organizes a week of activities each May to raise awareness of issues around end of life, death and funerals. It coincides with Dying Matters Week in England and Wales.

This year SICA (Scottish Independent Celebrants’ Association) ran two events – one of which was a set of two staged funerals at Brewsterwells Crematorium in Fife. I wrote a bit more about why we wanted to do this in another blog post.

Today I just wanted to thank everyone who was involved – it was a great success and we really enjoyed doing it and meeting everyone. Thanks especially due to Jake at Brewsterwells and everyone at William Purves Funeral Directors in particular, Drew who gave up his Sunday! Sarah for BSL signing and coping with last minute changes to scripts. Kaylie at Oor Fleurs for creating some memorable and appropriate floral tributes – and Agnostic Scotland for their support.

I also wanted to say a personal thanks to everyone who came along to support us on the day, to those of you who spoke as “friends and family” and those of you who played the equally important role of “mourner” (especially Cooper who I asked – at very short notice! – to place a little flag on the coffin). It all felt so authentic even with the cameras running. It was also an opportunity for celebrants, doulas, soul midwives, and others connected with end of life and funerals to get together and network.

Now we’ll work with Jenn Knox of PhotoJenniK Photography and Lee Phillips of six4 productions to create a portfolio of images for SICA and its members to use. I’m looking forward to the results.

And a final thank you to the star – Millie the dog!

Michael Hannah, Dundee 13 May 2024

Demystifying Death Week – A Place for Keening Today?

As part of the Good Life Good Death Good Grief death literacy initiative, I attended an evening talk on the tradition of keening. This workshop was organized by my friends and colleagues in Pushing up the Daisies, and was led by singer and storyteller Madge Bray.

Keening (or caoineadh) is a form of ritual lament practised in the Gaelic speaking lands of Ireland and Scotland. It played a key role in wakes and funeral practices. Madge described it in terms of “holding a process of release of suffering”. It certainly was a very powerful expression of grief at both a personal and community level and was predominantly the work of women. Perhaps not surprisingly it did not find favour with the churches and was banned in Scotland as ungodly…. Yet it survived in isolated places and perhaps more importantly, the very sounds and emotional energy seem to have lived on in the music of the bagpipes, in the pibroch of laments.

Madge sang an example of a pibroch chant or canntaireachd that she has given voice to. She chose one written in the aftermath of the Battle of the Park. This took place near Strathpeffer in the late 15th century with much loss of life. Even after all this time and even across the medium of zoom, it was an incredibly powerful moment to hear her sing unaccompanied in this ancient way.

The theme of the evening was “a place for keening today?” and it made me wonder about the relevance of these traditions for celebrants today. I’m very interested in the power of words in a funeral, the power of storytelling. And I wonder if we pay enough attention, not just to the meaning, but to the sound of our words and how we deliver them. And of course music plays such an important part in funerals today. Even an old favourite like “My Way” can acquire a startling power in the right context.

I certainly came away with much to think about. Thank you to Pushing up the Daisies for this inspiring talk.

Michael Hannah, Broughty Ferry, May 2024

Demystifying Death Week – SICA activities

Each year in May, the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care organizes a week of events designed to raise awareness of end of life issues, funerals etc. The partnership runs this via its initiative Good Life Good Death Good Grief.

This year, the Scottish Independent Celebrants’ Association (SICA) has planned two events or activities for this Demystifying Death Week. The first is a sort of poetry exchange. We will ask our members for poems and readings for funerals that are perhaps a little different from the usual. Perhaps something that the celebrant has written themselves. Or something they have found that just captures someone’s life or character. Perhaps something that a family member has written.

It might even be something that doesn’t seem like a funeral type of reading at all…. imagine reading from a car maintenance manual for someone who had loved nothing better than tinkering with engines! We hope to collate all the results and make them available to members and perhaps more widely.

The other event is a staged funeral (two actually) at Brewsterwells Crematorium in Fife. We wanted to have some good images of funerals. Of course, unlike weddings, it is rarely appropriate to take photos at funerals. So we’ll be staging these “mock” funerals with our members and guests as “mourners”. A professional photographer, Jenn Knox of PhotoJenniK Photography will create a portfolio of images for SICA and our members to use. Jenn’s work shows incredible sensitivity to the many issues that images of death and grieving present.

But we also wanted this event to be a way to raise death literacy – demystify death. So we are making a video of the funerals. Our videographer, Lee Phillips of six4 productions, also has a keen understanding of what we need. SICA hopes that the resulting video clips will provide a really valuable tool to explain what happens in a funeral… and what possibilities exist. Something we can use over and over and that creates a template for future events. Brewsterwells is a crematorium but we might repeat this in a natural burial ground or a completely different venue.

Thanks are due to Brewsterwells and its team. Also to William Purves Funeral Directors, Good Life Good Death Good Grief and Agnostic Scotland for their support. And we are grateful to Sarah Lawson for BSL signing and helping to underline the importance of accessibility at funerals. Finally – thanks for beautiful flowers from Oor Fleurs!

This event will not be open to the general public but if you are interested to know more please don’t hesitate to contact me, Michael Hannah, on 07712 892479.

Michael Hannah, Dundee, May 2024