Last night, I believe that we crossed the equator again on our way from the Seychelles to the Maldives. If you do such a thing in an airplane, the event is not even acknowledged. Aboard ship, however, it is, often with great fanfare and fun. It is customary to mark a person’s first crossing of the equator with a ceremony, and no one does it better than our Cruise Director Leslie Jon.
Here is how he announces today’s ceremony in the daily Currents:
“From the beginning of time seafarers have partaken in ancient ceremonial initiations for crossing specific navigational parallel’s [sic] on the globe. Such practices are so vintage in origin that their derivation has been lost, but it is believed that initiations in such societies began in the Middle Ages and is possible that it began with the Vikings!
“Today the tradition continues with the initiation of all Polliwogs, those soft, gushy creatures that have never crossed the Equator into the secret society of Shellbacks, the hard, tough creatures that have crossed the equator before.
“Therefore King Neptune, the master & ruler of the seas is calling all Polliwogs who wish to be initiated into the Society of Shellbacks to appear at 1:00 pm on the Pool Deck (9), dressed for their baptism (bathing suit suggested). The day of the transformation is today, February 28, in the year of our Lord, 2018.”
The event is full of laughter and good cheer. It lasts about a half hour. We have not participated because we did cross the equator on a previous trip, albeit unceremoniously on Air Tahiti. Next time I will take some photos to share. It indeed must be an ancient ceremony done everywhere, as Cathy’s brother John sent us an email when we crossed the first time on this voyage in Brazil and said exactly what Leslie did. It am pretty sure his initiation was when he was in the US Navy.
The other noteworthy event was a Mandatory Mid-Cruise Guest Safety Drill. This is required by international law, and Oceania treats this with all the seriousness and firmness that it deserves. We are all for these drills because every passenger needs to know exactly what to do, how to act, and where to go. I do not have complete faith in this crowd that everyone will comport themselves with calmness and dignity. These frequent reminders are a good thing.
Our three-day Sea Day period comes to a close. I close by saying that the picture for this post was taken at sunrise from our veranda. One good thing about being at sea is the photo ops for such things as sunrise and sunset. The cloud formations are often spectacular.
John Hearne
March 2, 2018It’s a big day, indeed, I made the blog! Yes, my equatorial crossing and Shellback initiation ceremony was in the Navy, not too far from where you are now, actually.
Weezie & Dave
March 5, 2018Thrillingly beautiful photo, Steve.
Steve and Cathy
March 5, 2018Thank you, Weezie and Dave.