There are many strange and unusual traditions and even rituals on the naval side of the ship. But, nevertheless, to all the customs that another person might well consider stupidity, sailors are taken seriously. Let’s find out about some of them!
Ship’s christening
Sailors are a superstitious people, and there have long been many traditions in the navy. One of these is the baptism of the ship. Now, when a ship is launched, it is customary to break a bottle of champagne on its side. But what is interesting is that this tradition appeared long before the appearance of the sparkling drink itself. Let’s turn to the Vikings, who were extremely uncompromising when it came to their warships – Drakkars. As a sacrifice to the gods, they laid captives under the keel. Unlike the brutal Nordic warriors, other peoples were more sentimental and limited themselves to dumping large and small livestock overboard. Christianity, which had spread by that time, replaced this barbaric rite with a more humane and symbolic one – baptism with red wine. In the 15th-16th centuries in England, the christening of a ship with wine was practically equated to a holiday. At the same time, the king established a rule – after drinking a toast for a new ship, it was necessary to throw a golden goblet overboard, into which wine was poured. But by the 17th century, the monarchs had already ceased to scatter expensive dishes, when this custom appeared in France – to break a bottle of champagne on a ship.
Initiation into sailors
The maritime community has always been something like a particularly men’s club – anyone who longs for wandering and traveling on water or has a specialized education can get here. However, not only spiritual impulses and a diploma make a “land” sea wolf out of a person. The last one, as a rule, becomes the one who manages to earn the respect of his fellows on the deck and passes the appropriate initiation. As with any important initiation ceremony, the venue also plays a significant role here. The equator is considered the most suitable, because even in the Golden Age of the sailing fleet, crossing the equator was a significant event for sailors from all over the world, which was celebrated by the team with a feast. But there was also practical benefit in this – a holiday in the middle of endless water helped brighten up everyday sailing and give the crew a rest.
At this moment, the finest hour of the youth came – the team arranged all kinds of pranks for the newcomer, for example, to find a pillar in the distance that marks the border between the northern and southern hemispheres. But the newcomer is also subjected to a number of not very pleasant tests: they can hang him upside down on a rope and force him to drink a liter of sea water, or coat him with coal soot or fuel oil, drive him through an obstacle course, dousing him with water and whipping him with a belt. Behind this, a novice sailor can be forced to eat a whole plate of seaweed or something else that is not included in the usual ship’s diet. Some, to test dexterity, offer the youngster to kiss the swinging sledgehammer.
Tattoos
In the summer of 1775, the legendary navigator James Cook returns to the British Isles from his second expedition. On one of his ships, a mysterious native also arrives in Europe – Omai from the island of Ulletea. People first notice his body, which was painted with exotic drawings, according to which, as it turned out, he himself was a great master. These drawings were so well known today “tatu”, which in the language of Tahiti means “sign” or “wound”. Of course, people in Europe knew about tattoos even before the campaigns of James Cook. But the symbols on Omai’s body made a big impression on people, and he became wildly popular in English secular society – Omai’s tattoos became the most talked about on the streets of Britain. In order to leave an exotic native sign on some part of their English bodies, a whole queue lined up for the Polynesian. In the forefront were, of course, the sailors.
Because of their superstition, sailors over the next two centuries came up with a whole lot of tattoo amulets. The most symbolic tattoo of a sailor has always been the polar star – the main reference point in navigation for a long time. The sea people believed that the star stuffed on the body would provide them with protection and a safe return home.
Another ship symbol that can be seen on the body of a sailor is an anchor, symbolizing a haven. A swallow was often added to the anchor: he traveled more than 500 miles – if the first swallow. Reached 1000 – add the second. It is curious that it was the swallow in the marine theme that became the symbol of hope, faith and salvation. And for every five thousand nautical miles of travel, it was supposed to apply the image of a sparrow – a very important bird for the sea brotherhood.
If a sailor had a pig tattoo on his left knee and a rooster on his right knee, such a sailor should never lose his fighting spirit. Why? Simply because pigs and roosters were the most likely survivors of shipwrecks.
On the soles of the feet, the sailor simply needed to put crosses: it was believed that the shark would be frightened of the crosses and would definitely retreat.
By tattoos, it was always possible to distinguish a seasoned sea wolf from a greenhorn: if the dragon is on the back, it means that he has been to China. On the hands of Neptune or a turtle – crossed the equator. During World War II, allied navy sailors tattooed palms and coconuts in the Mediterranean during World War II, and the Americans based in Hawaii made the famous image of a girl in the hula dance.
Editor: Varvara Kartushina
