Interesting Article about Newfoundland Screech-Ins - Canadian Press
Bev
Poll: Are you a lover or loather of the screech-in????
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KISSING CODS, PUFFINS PART OF WELCOMING RITUAL THAT'S LOVED AND LOATHED
Sue Bailey, THE CANADIAN PRESS
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Have you got a big jib? Does it draw?
If you're not sure how to answer, you probably haven't taken part in a
Newfoundland welcoming ritual that is as much sought out by tourists as it's
rebuffed by some locals. They call it the screech-in.
For a small fee, several bars around the province and especially in St.
John's offer shots of dark rum and the chance to become "honorary
Newfoundlanders."
Participants can choose a non-alcoholic version of the often varied routine,
but must also kiss a cod fish or the rear end of a stuffed Atlantic puffin
before receiving a certificate.
It's also customary when screechers are asked if they're ready to enter the
Newfoundland fold to respond: "Indeed I is, me old cock, and long may your
big jib draw."
On a recent Friday night at Trapper John's Museum and Pub on St. John's
tavern-lined George Street, bartender Donnie Lynch was holding court.
"Come on over if you would," he called out to prospective screechers with a
resounding clang of his bar bell. "We'll try to screech you in now, have a
bit of Newfoundland rum and some fun."
He had earlier explained the meaning of the phrase he would take pains to
lead his inductees through.
"'Indeed I is, me old cock' - cock is referred to as a friend. 'And long may
your big jib draw' - jib is referred to as a sail on a ship.
"And all the little saying means is, wherever you may go, wherever you may
travel in life, my friend, may you have smooth sailing, may you prosper and
may you have good luck on your journey."
Arnold Kverme of Elmsdale N.S., was one of three screechers lined up at the
bar. He was with a group of loved ones and friends, born and bred
Newfoundlanders, who later admired his certificate.
"I was hoping for a cod," he joked after shying away from kissing the butt
of a plush replica puffin.
Trapper John's co-owner Terry Gulliver says the bar has ushered in 100,000
honorary Newfoundlanders in the last 13 years. Screech-ins are offered every
day all year, but they peak at about 300 a week at the height of the summer
tourism season, he said.
Dark rum arrived in Newfoundland centuries ago when it was traded in the
West Indies for salt cod, Gulliver said. Legend has it that an American
soldier stationed in Newfoundland during the Second World War let out a
screech when he tossed back a straight shot.
The rest is history.
"We're seeing a lot more tourists," Gulliver said of the bar scene and St.
John's in general. "I think, deep down, everybody wants to be a
Newfoundlander. And I think this is one little way where people can come to
St. John's, and feel like they can leave with a small piece of Newfoundland
with them."
St. John's historian and author Paul O'Neill has no time for the ritual that
also serves as an effective marketing tool for bar owners and the provincial
liquor corporation.
Some visitors refer to themselves as "honorary 'Newfie' - which gets my
blood boiling," O'Neill said. He ranks the term among the worst ethnic
slurs.
"Don't call me a Newfie."
Gulliver, who only recently became a tavern proprietor, said he is among
many Newfoundlanders who see the screech-in as a unique cultural trait.
After all, how many provinces can boast that tourists line up to pay for the
chance to become honorary citizens?
The Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation even sells screech-in
kits - complete with shot glasses, coasters, a booklet on the history and
how-to of the actual ceremony and wallet-sized certificates. They are
especially popular in Alberta, where so many Newfoundlanders spend much of
each year working, and in New England.
"There are people who feel that maybe it demeans our culture, demeans our
province," Gulliver said of the screech-in. "I disagree. I think it's
inherently a part of our culture."
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If you go . . .
Trapper John's Museum & Pub: It offers screech-in ceremonies daily at 2
George Street, St John's, N.L., 709-579-9630.
Christian's Bar: It holds screech-ins every day but Monday at 23 George St.,
709-753-9100.
From June until September, screech-ins also are held at the Jighouse, an NL
Liquor Corporation store, 123 New Gower St., 709-724-1600.
