Crossing the Equator

What fun to participate in the King Neptune Ceremony! The ceremony of crossing the line is an initiation rite in many navies and merchant ships around the world. It commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the equator. Originally the tradition was created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long rough times at sea. Sailors who have already crossed the equator are nicknamed "Trusty Shellbacks", often referred to as Sons of Neptune; those who have not are nicknamed "Vile Pollywogs". "King Neptune and his court" (usually including her Highness Amphitrite and often various dignitaries who are all represented by the highest ranking seamen), officiate at the ceremony, during which the Pollywogs undergo a number of increasingly disgusting ordeals, largely for the entertainment of the Shellbacks. Once the ceremony is complete, a Pollywog receives a certificate declaring his new status. On the Veendam, the disgusting ordeals consisted of being smothered with putrid "food" before being thrown into the pool, or having to "kiss the fish".

Another common status is the Golden shellback, a person who has crossed the equator at the 180th meridian (International Date Line). In the 19th century and earlier, the line-crossing ceremony was quite a brutal event, often involving beating "pollywogs" with boards and wet ropes and sometimes throwing the victims over the side of the ship, dragging the pollywog in the surf from the stern.