NEW YORK - Those who lost husbands, wives and significant others in the Sept. 11 attack will recite their loved ones' names at the five-year anniversary ceremony.

The somber reading of the names has been the centerpiece of the annual commemoration at the World Trade Center site. The first year, the list was read aloud by politicians, dignitaries and some relatives, followed by children in 2003, then parents and grandparents. Last year, brothers and sisters called out the 2,749 names.

Following tradition, the fifth anniversary ceremony will begin with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the minute the first plane hit the north tower, and will pause three more times for the moments the second plane crashed and each tower collapsed.

Organizers confirmed Wednesday that the city recently sent letters to victims' loved ones, seeking readers for the event at ground zero on Monday, Sept. 11.

“As the fifth anniversary approaches, we offer our prayers and sympathies to you and your loved ones,” begins the letter, signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. George Pataki.

Charles Wolf, whose wife Katherine died in the attack, said he planned to submit a request to be a reader.

“For me, it would be an honor to read her name,” he said. “The event tends to wash over the individual people that were lost, and by reading their names, this is a way of remembering there were this many individual souls that left the earth that day.”

Every year the ceremony draws a different crowd. A number of families have made it a tradition to attend each time, some have gone just once, and others have avoided the emotional gathering.

Karen Carlucci, who was engaged to marry Peter Frank on Oct. 19, 2001, said she plans to be out of town for the fifth anniversary, but is pleased that significant others are being considered.

Many people in her position - not legally married to those they lost, but equally devastated by the tragedy - have felt cast aside in certain ways since the attacks, which has complicated their grieving process.

“Being a significant other, you're sometimes in a gray area,” she said. “It's nice, and appreciated, that they would include us with the spouses.”

The city will conclude the day of remembrance with the return of the “Tribute in Light,” two powerful beams of light representing the fallen buildings. They will shine into the sky from Lower Manhattan at sundown.