Can somebody share the experience of Oath ceremony day?
- Thread starter Joelgloria
- Start date
We took our oaths last month. Our ceremony was scheduled for 9:30 in the morning and we arrived at 9:00. We weren't quite the first ones there, but almost. We lined up outside the door to the ceremony room and were checked in. They had a clipboard with everyone's name on it. We passed in our PR cards and were given a maple leaf pin and a folder. The folder had a program, a pamphlet about the Cultural Access Pass, a book about Canada, and a poster about Canada. We were told that people taking the oath should sit in the center of the room and people who were there as guests should sit off to the sides. We took seats right in the front row and had a few minutes to take pictures. An assistant came in and told us about what would take place. He said that pictures could be taken throughout the ceremony except for during the actual oath taking. He told us the name of the judge and the two guest speakers. One speaker was from the local MP's office, the other was a 90 yr old WWII vet.
The judge spoke to us about living in Canada and our rights and responsibilities. Just before taking the oath they told anyone who wanted to take the oath on their holy book to take it out and hold it in their left hand. We all stood up, raised our right hands, and repeated the oath line by line after the judge. Then we sat down and the two guest speakers spoke. One by one our names were read off and we went up to get our citizenship certificates. Family groups were called up together. We were also given small Canadian flags by the veteran and an envelope from the MP's representative. The envelope had a congratulatory letter, a pen, and a magnet. There was the opportunity after each person/family came up to pause for a photo. The judge and guest speakers also stayed at the end for anyone who wanted to take more pictures. We ended the ceremony by singing "O Canada."
The whole thing took a little over an hour.
The judge spoke to us about living in Canada and our rights and responsibilities. Just before taking the oath they told anyone who wanted to take the oath on their holy book to take it out and hold it in their left hand. We all stood up, raised our right hands, and repeated the oath line by line after the judge. Then we sat down and the two guest speakers spoke. One by one our names were read off and we went up to get our citizenship certificates. Family groups were called up together. We were also given small Canadian flags by the veteran and an envelope from the MP's representative. The envelope had a congratulatory letter, a pen, and a magnet. There was the opportunity after each person/family came up to pause for a photo. The judge and guest speakers also stayed at the end for anyone who wanted to take more pictures. We ended the ceremony by singing "O Canada."
The whole thing took a little over an hour.
