CROSSING THE EQUATOR CERTIFICATE

The Equator is significant because it divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern hemisphere. It is important for navigation. This line sits zero degrees latitute, making it the reference point when travelers, map-makers, or anyone elso needs to determine the latitudinal location of an object on Earth. 

Seafarers life is chock full of myth and tradition, what happen at sea even affects our language. There are many naval traditions dated back hundreds and even thousand of years...Crossing the Equator is one of the naval tradition dates back at least 400 years in western Seafaring... It is a significant events for seafarers, symbolising a rite of passage.

Why would sailors avoid the Equator?

In both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the sailors noticed that there was an area near the Equator where there was little or no wind. Without the wind to move their sail-powered boats, they would sometimes be stuck for days or weeks. They started calling these areas the doldrums,  a low pressure area from 5 degrees North to 5 degrees South of the Equator. Winds are famously calm here, with prevailing breeze disappearing altogether at times, making it extremely difficult to navigate through. It's a place for trade winds to meet other trade winds.

Sailor who had crossed the Equator will be awarded a certificate and they are accepted and be called Shellback.. it is a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness...

While the term given to those sailor who have not crossed the equator before was Pollywogs.

With the pollywog to shellback transition complete, a certificate was often awarded to the new shellback as a rite of passage.

When the ceremonies were first conducted, they were physically challenging and could even be painful or embarrassing to the Sailors. This is a usually light-hearted event that allows the ship's crew to take sometime out from their hectic schedules and have fun with the rest of the crewmates.

Today, the event is voluntary and is conducted more for entertainment purposes and morale boosting than anything else.

I'm not sure whether this tradition is still practiced in the Royal Malaysian Navy... as there are some who do not agree with the practice of this tradition that may conflict with religion...

Wallahualam

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

Lembah Keramat, KL

21/2/2024 : 4.04 pm