A humanist funeral is a non-religious ceremony that places the life of the person at its centre. For families who feel a faith-based service would not reflect who their loved one was, it can be exactly the right choice. Here is what to expect — and what you can ask for.
Who leads a humanist funeral?
The person leading the service is called a celebrant. Humanist celebrants are trained and accredited by Humanists UK, the national organisation that has championed non-religious ceremonies in Britain since the 1890s. They are not ordained, but they bring real skill and experience to every aspect of the service.
Before the funeral, the celebrant will meet with the family — often more than once — to gather stories, understand the person’s character and life, and build the ceremony around what they hear. Their role is to create a service that celebrates the person who has died with honesty and dignity, in their own words and the family’s.
A celebrant can work in a crematorium chapel or in any location that is not a religious building — a village hall, a garden, a favourite open space, or a natural burial site. The format is shaped entirely around the family’s wishes.
What happens at a humanist service?
The majority of humanist funerals take place in a crematorium, though other venues are increasingly used. The celebrant opens the service and guides everyone through it — typically 30 to 45 minutes at a crematorium, longer if the venue allows. They will have worked with the family beforehand to design the order of proceedings: what will be said, who will speak, and when.
Family members or close friends are often invited to give a tribute or reading. The skill of a good celebrant lies in weaving these contributions into a coherent whole, and in helping the family say everything that matters within the time available.
Does the person need to have been a humanist?
Not at all. A humanist service is available to anyone for whom a faith-based ceremony does not feel right. The person does not need to have held any particular belief — a humanist service simply means a ceremony that reflects a life, rather than an act of worship.
It is worth distinguishing a humanist funeral from a civil ceremony. A civil ceremony is conducted by a civil celebrant, who may or may not have a humanist background and whose services are less consistently accredited. A Humanists UK-accredited celebrant follows a defined standard of training and is experienced specifically in non-religious funeral work.
Music and readings
One of the distinctive features of a humanist funeral is the freedom it gives families with music and readings. Readings should be non-religious — but within that, there is enormous range: a poem the person loved, a passage from a book, something the person wrote themselves. Music can be anything from a classical piece to a favourite pop song to a recording that played at a significant moment in their life.
The celebrant will advise on what works within the time available and the venue’s technical setup, but there are rarely hard rules. Families frequently find that this freedom leads to a more genuinely personal service than they had expected.
The committal
When the time comes for the committal, the celebrant leads this in a way agreed on with the family beforehand. At a crematorium, this is the closing of the curtains around the coffin. At a burial, it is the lowering of the coffin. The words used — and there can be silence too — are chosen with care, and the celebrant will always discuss this moment with the family before the day.
The order of service
A humanist service often has a particularly personal order of proceedings, and a printed order of service gives guests something to follow and to keep. It can carry the biography the celebrant has written, the words of readings, the music chosen, and photographs of the person’s life. Many families find that a well-designed order of service becomes one of the most valued keepsakes from the day.
You may also find our article on what a funeral celebrant does useful. For different types of service, see our guides to traditional burial, green and woodland funerals and burial at sea. For non-religious ceremonies more broadly, our guide to non-religious funerals covers the full range of options.
We work directly with families, celebrants and funeral directors to create bespoke orders of service for humanist funerals. Call us free on 0800 612 6484 or send us a message.
