A broken wand ceremony is a ritual performed at or shortly before the funeral of a magician, 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.
The first broken wand ceremony was held in 1926, after the death of Harry Houdini. The Society of American Magicians continues to hold an annual ceremony at Houdini's grave.
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.
References
- Magic Auction from Cincinnati Magazine, January 1980, p. 17
- Stone, Alex (2012). Fooling Houdini. Bond Street Books. ISBN 978-0-307-36821-8.
- "Coping; Yet Another Black Wand Has Lost Its Powers", by Anemona Hartocollis, at The New York Times, January 22, 2005.
- 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."
- Belam, Martin (19 September 2022). "What was the 'wand of office' broken at the Queen's funeral?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-09-02.