Holidays

The holiday celebrations at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church reflect and honor the six Sources of our faith.

Like many Unitarian Universalists congregations, Emerson celebrates Christian holidays like Christmas, Jewish holidays like Passover, and Pagan Winter Solstice, among others. Our holiday services use the stories and traditions creatively, calling us to our deeper humanity and our commitment to the good.

In addition to religious holidays, we also honor secular holidays including Earth Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, and Thanksgiving.

Traditions

  • Turnings – On the Sunday after New Year’s Day, we acknowledge the events of the past year in the “Turnings” service, led by our ministers. This moving service is one that touches the hearts of everyone, as the events of the year touch us all– in the congregation, the community, and the wider world.

  • Youth Sunday – (usually in spring) is written and led by the senior high group and is always inspiring.

  • Coming of Age – Emerson’s eighth-graders give their credo statements from the pulpit is one of the highlights of the year.

  • Flower Ceremony – Sometimes referred to as Flower Communion, is an annual ritual that celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community. Originally created in 1923 by Unitarian minister Norbert Capek of Prague, Czechoslovakia, the Flower Ceremony was introduced to the United States by Rev. Maya Capek, Norbert’s widow. In this ceremony, everyone in the congregation brings a flower. Each person places a flower on the altar or in a shared vase. The congregation and minister bless the flowers, and they’re redistributed. Each person brings home a different flower than the one they brought.

  • Solstice/Equinox – Acknowledge our relationship to the natural world.

  • Community Services – July and August feature sermons by members or speakers from the community.

  • Deck The Halls  – Early in December all ages decorate the Sanctuary for the season and share a snack or a meal!

  • Christmas Eve – A beautiful service full of candles and carols invites you to bask in the soft sweetness of the season.
  • Taize Service – Universalist churches worldwide are turning to the Taizé form of worship to create meaningful contemplative services for their own members.