Unitarian Universalist Traditions
• Water Communion (in September): An intergenerational
service that Unitarian Universalist churches and fellowships celebrate
across the world. People are asked to bring a small amount of water
from summertime for our ritual mingling of the waters.
• Thanksgiving Service (the week before Thanksgiving):
People bring breads and muffins, and we set a table of gratitude and intention.
• Christmas Eve: A candlelit service for all ages as we light candles
of Hanukkah and celebrate Christmas Eve.
• Easter: An intergenerational service that explores ways to understand and celebrate this time of year.
• Flower Communion (mid-June): Originally created in 1923 by Unitarian minister Norbert Capek of Prague, the Flower Communion is an annual ritual that celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity and community. Everyone brings a flower and places it in a shared vase. The congregation and minister bless the flowers, and everyone brings home a different flower than the one they brought.
Special services every year or two:
• Blessing of the Animals: UUFES members and friends bring their animal companions to this service. Furry, hairy, horny and scaly pets willing to sit with a measure of containment through a half hour or so of loving attention are welcome. We bless them and celebrate ways they enrich our lives.
• Winter Solstice (mid-December): We mark the return of the light, remembering pagan traditions, calling the directions, and contemplating darkness and light.
• Christmas Morning (when Christmas falls on a Sunday): A contemplative service of music and warm company for UUFES and the neighborhood.
• All Hallows Eve (early November): Reminded of multicultural traditions of remembrance in many place, we honor those whose lives have enriched our own.
