A broken wand ceremony is a ritual performed at or shortly before the funeral of a magician,[1] in which a wand – either the wand which the magician used in performances, or a ceremonial one – is broken, indicating that with the magician's death, the wand has lost its magic.[2]

The first broken wand ceremony was held in 1926, after the death of Harry Houdini.[3] The Society of American Magicians continues to hold an annual ceremony at Houdini's grave.[4]

British monarchy

At the funeral of a British monarch, a wand is broken over the coffin to signifiy the end of service for the Lord Chamberlain.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Magic Auction from Cincinnati Magazine, January 1980, p. 17
  2. ↑ Stone, Alex (2012). Fooling Houdini. Bond Street Books. ISBN 978-0-307-36821-8.
  3. ↑ "Coping; Yet Another Black Wand Has Lost Its Powers", by Anemona Hartocollis, at The New York Times, January 22, 2005.
  4. ↑ S.A.M. News: Houdini Remembered, at the Society of American Magicians (via archive.org); published 2006; retrieved July 5, 2014; "As done each year the Parent Assembly #1 performs a broken wand ceremony for Harry Houdini on the anniversary of his death based on the Jewish Calendar."
  5. ↑ Belam, Martin (19 September 2022). "What was the 'wand of office' broken at the Queen's funeral?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
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