Line-Crossing Ceremony – Becoming a Shellback

Over the course of our travels along the Amazon, we crossed the Equator 3 times!  This necessitated the initiation of the line-crossing ceremony.

The line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person’s first crossing of the Equator.  The tradition may have originated with ceremonies when passing headlands, and become a “folly” sanctioned as a boost to morale, or have been created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long, rough voyages. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are common in the Navy and are also sometimes carried out for passengers’ entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships. 

Throughout history, line-crossing ceremonies have sometimes become dangerous hazing rituals. Most modern navies have instituted regulations that prohibit physical attacks on sailors undergoing the line-crossing ceremony.

In the 18th century and earlier, the line-crossing ceremony was quite a brutal event, often involving beating pollywogs (the name for those who have not crossed the equator) with boards and wet ropes and sometimes throwing the victims over the side of the ship, dragging the pollywog through the surf from the stern. In more than one instance, sailors were reported to have been killed while participating in a line-crossing ceremony.

Baptism on the line, also called equatorial baptism, is an alternative initiation ritual sometimes performed as a ship crosses the Equator, involving water baptism of passengers or crew who have never crossed the Equator before.  The ceremony is sometimes explained as being an initiation into the court of King Neptune.  This was more like the ceremony performed on Marina.

Unfortunately, the line-crossing ceremony could not be performed on the first crossing – the weather just didn’t cooperate.  So, on the return crossing, the party began.  The Cruise Director, Sammie, called the group to order while the band made a tour of the deck.  Once everyone was present, and King Neptune was in place along with his wife, the first pollywog was called forward.  First required to kiss the fish, then have ice dumped over their head they were pushed into the pool!  

Now I admit, I was tempted to follow suit but the crowd was big and getting to the ‘fish’ and getting the ice bath really didn’t seem like what I should be doing.  

When we returned to our cabin we found our certificates!

A couple of days later it was Easter Sunday and the crew had set up some lovely decorations and the Easter Brunch was a wonderful culinary extravaganza.