Holidays and Ceremonies

Unitarian Universalists honor and celebrate a wide range of holidays and occasions over the course of a year. Unlike other faith traditions that use a single lectionary (a collection of scripture readings appointed for a given day or occasion), the topics and themes for Unitarian Universalist worship services are usually chosen independently by worship leaders in congregations. These include unique UU traditions, like the Flower Ceremony, as well as holidays from other faith traditions, such as Christmas or Beltane.

View and download the 2021-22 UUA Worship Calendar (PDF), which includes faith-based and secular holidays that UU congregations often celebrate. The calendar also includes monthly worship themes used in popular theme-based ministry programs. To download or print, follow the link and use the File menu, then select the Landscape layout option.

Search Words for Worship Services

Displaying 81 - 90 of 1640 (items for multiple occasions are listed more than once).

Advent

Script

  • Magnified (WorshipWeb)
    by Lyn Cox
    Tagged as: Children, Christianity, Family, Mothers, Parents

Sermon

Time for All Ages

  • A Baby Was Born (WorshipWeb)
    by Gwen Matthews
    Tagged as: Awe, Children, Family, Fathers, Generations, Humanism, Mothers, Parents, Secular, Tradition

All Saints Day

Affirmation

  • They Are with Us Still (WorshipWeb)
    by Kathleen McTigue
    Tagged as: Generations, History, Justice, Leadership, Progress, Responsibility

Chalice Lighting

Invocation

  • Remembrance Invocation (WorshipWeb)
    by Lyn Cox
    Tagged as: Generations, History, Paganism, Prophetic Words & Deeds

Meditation

  • Blessing of the Animals—St. Francis Day (WorshipWeb)
    by Thomas Rhodes
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Connections, Earth, Earth-Centered, Humility, Love, Nature, Relationships
  • Welcome All You Saints! (WorshipWeb)
    by Susan Brown
  • Immortality (WorshipWeb)
    by Leslie Takahashi
    Tagged as: Death, Direct Experience, Family, Generations, Grief, Immanence, Mystery, Spirituality, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness

Opening

  • Autumnal Welcoming (WorshipWeb)
    by Sarah Gettie McNeill
    Tagged as: Change, Earth, Earth-Centered, Inclusion, Nature
An unlit chalice on a church altar
LEADER RESOURCE 2 Rituals to Welcome a New Child
a medieval window from the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Scotland, depicting the Nativity
Islamic prayer beads or Subha inside the Süleymaniye Moque (Istanbul).
An altar filled with candles, photos, and flowers