Ship christening
The naming ceremony is a solemn act, which traditionally before the launch is carried out on ships (but often only at the first attempt of a particular port). At the christening act, the ship is given its name and in large parts of the world a bottle of sparkling wine or champagne is smashed on the hull (in a number of countries there are also other christening ceremonies → see section below). A speech is also often given.
history
The naming of ships can be traced back to the fourth millennium BC. Certain launching customs can be documented up to at least the Romans. Early ship christenings were often accompanied by the offering of sacrifices, some of which were human sacrifices. The term ship baptism comes from a vulgar understanding of Christian baptism . As a result of the practice of infant baptism , naming and baptism came into a close temporal connection.
Launching Customs
When the main mast was used on the sailing ship, a shiny piece of gold was placed in the cavity of the mast track , that is, where the base of the mast should rest. This piece of gold, called the gold fox , was supposed to provide protection from the unknown forces of the sea. There is also the custom of placing a penny / cent on a pall before the first keel plate is placed. After it is launched , it is recovered and the ship's client has to buy it from the shipbuilders (with a lot of schnapps and beer).
The godfather of a ship is always a woman who is not red-haired and is not allowed to wear anything green during the christening. A violation of any of these three points will be considered a bad omen. During the “baptism” with a champagne bottle, the godmother lets the bottle break on the ship's side. Then the cork is examined, which must still sit firmly in the upper rest of the bottle neck to prove the authenticity / effectiveness of the baptism. When christening a rowboat, you limit yourself to pouring champagne over the boat in order not to damage the hull. On the white board for the subsequent feast, the godmother is again visually shown the responsibility of the baptism act, as a delegation of shipyard workers presents the cork, which is often mounted on a wooden plate with a copper or brass clamp, to release.
The baptismal address usually ends with the naming and the wish for a good trip at all times and a hand's breadth of water under the keel.
Incidents during the ship's christening are interpreted as a bad omen , e.g. B. if the champagne bottle does not break or the ship, as in the case of the freighter Melanie Schulte, who disappeared without a trace in the North Atlantic in 1953, gets stuck on the slipway when it is launched .
Baptism ceremonies in other countries
- In Scotland you take a bottle of whiskey .
- In Japan, Shinto priests begin the ceremony with the ritual cleaning of the shipbuilding site with consecrated branches. Flowers and flags as well as a red and white paper ball filled with balloons, confetti, paper snakes and pigeons are attached to the stern of the ship. When giving the name, the godmother cuts a line that serves as a symbolic umbilical cord and the paper ball tears open when it is launched.
- Launching customs in China are partly similar to those in Japan, but a red ribbon is cut.
- According to Islamic custom, a ship is baptized with the water from the holy well of Mecca .
- According to Indian custom, the ship on the stern receives a wreath of roses and carnations and an Indian character that is said to bring good luck. After a ritual sacrifice made of red color (symbol of the earth), flowers (symbol of heaven) and colored rice grains (symbol of the act of creation), the godmother throws a coconut on the ship's hull.
- According to African custom, the godmother takes a long sip of palm wine and sprays it five times against the ship's side with a pointed mouth.
- At the time of American Prohibition , Coca-Cola was used for baptism in the United States .
See also
- In 1902 the so-called Champagne War broke out as part of a ship christening .
- In 1964, the Fußacher shipyard became the scene of the so-called Fußach affair , a prevented ship christening that had supra-regional political effects in Austria .
literature
- Peter Gerds: Baptized with water from the line and sparkling wine . 1st edition. Hinstorff Verlag, Rostock 1983.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mein Schiff Magazin, issue 2/2016, page 14
- ↑ See e.g. K-19 - Showdown in the Depth
- ^ Heinrich Busch (2002): The sinking of Melanie Schulte / DICR . Report on Seefunknetz.de Retrieved on March 27, 2012.