Celebrate 100 Years of the Flower Ceremony!

The first Flower Ceremony was held in Prague, on June 24, 1923, led by Rev. Norbert Čapek. For decades, this beloved tradition and its powerful history have provided meaning to hundreds of UU congregations.

As the centennial of this ritual approaches, WorshipWeb offers the following resources for use in worship:

• This document (PDF) contains links to four videos of Rev. Dr. Petr Samojský, minister of the Prague Unitarian Congregation in the Czech Republic, delivering blessings by himself and by Rev. Norbert Čapek. Two videos are English-only, and the other two are delivered in both Czech and English.

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  "Beauty Calls Us Together," a song cycle composed by Kathryn Canan, Rev. Suzelle Lynch, and Ruben Piirainen.
• This document (PDF) contains many videos featuring Rev. Dr. Petr Samojský, minister of the Prague Unitarian Congregation in the Czech Republic, in conversation with Rev. Erika Hewitt, the UUA's Minister of Worship Arts. These videos provide insight into the history of the flower ceremony, the ongoing Czech traditions and practices of the flower ceremony, and reflections about the relationship between Rev. Čapek's memory and the modern flower ceremony.
• UU Pastor Joshua Berg crowdfunded and created this exciting and extensive collection of supplementary materials for the "Flower 100."
• Foothills (Colorado) Unitarian Church created this brief video (YouTube) to tell the story of the Flower Ceremony/Communion. Please read this page before you use it in your worship service.

Most UU congregations have their own tradition around the timing of the flower ceremony—some celebrate in May, while others honor the original date of early June. We invite you to schedule your flower ceremony at a time in the worship year that feels most appropriate for you.

Note: Č is a separate letter of the Czech alphabet, pronounced like the "ch" in "chocolate." Čapek is pronounced "CHOP-ek."

Rev. Dr. Petr Samojský's name is pronounced "Peter Sah-MOY-skee."

Ruben Piirainen's name is pronounced "PEER-eye-nen."