Table lay
The table place is a Masonic ritual, which is held on solemn occasions in the form of a banquet , e.g. B. at the foundation festival or after the admission of a seeker to the Freemasonry.
Traditional toasts , so-called health foods , are part of the table arrangement and are served in fixed rituals. A table cell differs from the brother's meal in the ritual parts and the seating arrangement and is therefore much more solemn.
At the end of the forties and the beginning of the fifties of the 18th century, the first so-called " firing glasses ", named after the "fired toast" of the Freemasons , emerged in England . Even these glasses had a strongly developed and reinforced base so that they would not break when you put them down.
At the royal houses of that time it was customary to confirm good wishes by firing gunshots from cannons. Symbolically, this corresponded to the Masonic toasting, which ultimately did not express anything else (see also the gun salute ).
execution
During a table lay, the brothers (usually) sit in a U-shaped arrangement. | _ |
The table chair is directed by the master of the chair and his two overseers. While the master sits at the head of the table (the head is the cross connection between the long legs, the so-called columns) the overseers have their place at the end of the long legs to supervise their columns. The rest of the brothers usually sit casually in the columns in a loose order. The seats at the head (left and right of the master of the chair) are considered to be places of honor and are allocated accordingly (to the newly admitted brother and his guarantor, visiting chair master or other functionaries). If no "special" guests are present, the places are treated as normal places.
The drinking vessels and the carafes are aligned accordingly on the table. This means that the drinking vessels stand on a blue band that runs across the entire table. The blue ribbon is a symbol of the unity among Freemasons.
As is customary with a table, the meal is served in several courses. This organizational process makes it possible to carry out the ritual parts before, between and after the corridors.
A ritual part is bringing out a toast . Before a toast is held, the master blows a hammer from the chair and asks the guards to let the brothers fill their glasses. The two overseers pass the instructions on to the brothers, who fill the cannons of their table neighbor. This gesture symbolically underscores the serving character of the brothers among one another. After the overseers are satisfied that the cannons are full, they inform the master that the brothers are ready.
The master either says a toast himself or gives the floor to one of the brothers. The speaker stands up, says a few words on the subject (i.e. what is being drunk on), and ends by asking the Master to have the brothers drink it.
At his command, the participants get up, hold the cannon in front of them with outstretched arms and empty it in three gulps on command. A subsequent fixed attachment of the drinking vessels is considered a symbolic gun salute. The subsequent joint exclamation “He / She / Long live” underscores the consent of the drinkers to the toast.
A special feature is the last toast, which is always addressed to the absent brothers. Whether the glass is emptied in one move or in three moves differs from grand lodge to grand lodge. What they all have in common, however, is that the glass is put down silently.
The toasts are usually based on:
- The well-being of the corresponding fatherland
- The royal art
- The well-being of the sisters (Masonic wives)
- The well-being of the visiting brothers
- The United Grand Lodges of Germany
- and in memory of all sick and deceased brothers
applied.
Table songs
Table songs are now sung at the table in order to reinforce the sense of community among the Freemasons. Usually these are started immediately after the toast. However, this custom can only be found in isolated cases today.
The importance of the napkins
In the second half of the 18th century the custom of placing a napkin over one's arm or shoulder emerged. This custom is still practiced in some lodges.
- The apprentice takes the napkin with a corner in his left hand and wraps the rest around his wrist.
- The journeyman hits the napkin over his left forearm.
- The master throws the napkin openly over his left shoulder.
A common explanation is traced back to the origins in the stonemasonry and the work with iron and billets.
The apprentice must protect the left hand (holding the chisel) from failures with the hammer and flying stone fragments. The journeyman is experienced in handling, but has the cloth ready to wipe away any splinters. The foreman, who does more planning work, carries it loosely over his shoulder because it is part of the job, but he actually no longer needs it.
Cannons
The drinking vessels are also called cannons in Freemasonry because they are symbolically used to fire a gun salute . Most of the time, many of the cannons are decorated with symbols from Freemasonry. The glass bottom is reinforced to prevent glass breakage.
The white board
A special form of the table arrangement is the so-called white board. While only Freemasons take part in a table, partners and / or guests also have a place at the white board. Usually the ritual parts are shortened and / or adapted.
In some boxes it is customary to call a fraternal meal to which guests are invited as a white board. Lectures are then given on the blackboard.
Imitations
The Masonic drinking ritual is practiced in a strongly modified form in many student associations . A so-called salamander is rubbed here.
literature
- Eugen Lennhoff, Oskar Posner, Dieter A. Binder: International Freemasons Lexicon. 5th edition 2006, Herbig Verlag, ISBN 978-3-7766-2478-6 .
- Jens Oberheide: Logengläser: The Bodo Nourishing Glasses Collection As part of a cultural-historical consideration of the origin and development of drinking and dining habits. 2nd edition 2010, Adeva Verlag, ISBN 978-3-201-01222-5 .