Broken wand ceremony explained

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]

External links

• Guidelines for a Broken Wand Ceremony at the International Brotherhood of Magicians

Notes and References

1. https://books.google.com/books?id=gB0DAAAAMBAJ&q=%22broken+wand+ceremony%22&pg=PA18 Magic Auction
2. Book: Fooling Houdini . Bond Street Books . Stone, Alex . 2012 . 978-0-307-36821-8.
3. https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E04E5DC143BF933A05752C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all "Coping; Yet Another Black Wand Has Lost Its Powers"
4. https://web.archive.org/web/20070627104106/http://www.magicsam.com/samnews.asp S.A.M. News: Houdini Remembered
5. Web site: Belam . Martin . What was the 'wand of office' broken at the Queen's funeral? . The Guardian . 2023-09-02 . 19 September 2022.