What Does “Celebration” Mean?

As we celebrate Emergenetics’s 25^th Anniversary, we can take a look what a celebration truly is.

“Celebrate” comes from the Latin celebratus “much-frequented; kept solemn; famous,” past participle of celebrare “assemble to honor,” also “to publish; sing praises of; practice often.” Today, Merriam Webster describes “celebrate” as a verb referring to the action “to perform (a sacrament or solemn ceremony) publicly and with appropriate rites or to honor (as a holiday) especially by solemn ceremonies or by refraining from ordinary business.” To really understand our celebration for Emergenetics’s 25^th Anniversary, we can use the clear etymology of “celebrate” and the common words of its definition.

Words like “much-frequented,” “famous,” and “assemble” are reflected in the qualification of celebration as public. Celebrate as an active, shared experience gives us some insight on what we are really doing. As a communal action, we truly celebrate only with others.

“Solemn ceremonies” is again a commonality. Although solemn may not be the first word to come to mind for a celebration, the qualification still exists today. To celebrate drifts from the connotation of strictly fun, and takes on a more serious and joyful complexion. For example in a birthday party, we may do any number of activities, but there is a commonality of coming together to sing “Happy Birthday” around the guest of honor. This moment is as sweet as any but takes on the solemn tone in the tradition of a celebration.

Honor is our final common denominator; even here we have already described a “guest of honor” to delineate their position in a celebration. A celebration should have a subject, someone to receive the action and feel the collective joy provided by others. A celebration calls attention to the honor a person or things has gained from their important actions or positive traits. Singing praise or performing a ceremony again makes a celebration an active and personal occasion.

As Emergenetics celebrates our 25^th Anniversary, we share the event with those around us. As a first third expressive, I share my celebration with a thought made public: We honor Emergenetics for honoring ourselves. Our celebration, the public, serious, joyful, and personal celebration, is for the positivity it provides to us. The Meeting of the Minds is a celebration of the profile, your profile honors you and the group is a crowd to sing the praise. For our 25^th Anniversary, we should celebrate with every meaning of the word.