26: Neptune Day...

King Neptune's Court Torturer looks out to sea...

We said our goodbyes to Kochi and sadly, also to a wonderful faculty member who had to leave the voyage. While in Varanasi, she slipped, breaking her femur. While the Academic Dean scrambled to determine how best to cover her three classes, we turned our focus back to academics. It would take us six days to reach our next port, Mauritius - the longest stretch at we'd had since reaching Japan - plenty of time to re-establish the class routine and dig into the coursework. Or so Gary thought...

He had forgotten about the peculiar sea traditions associated with crossing the equator, which on Semester At Sea, was called Neptune Day. But it came back to him when he heard the cryptic announcement: “all shellbacks and emerald shellbacks to report to Glazer Lounge at 7am the next day”, which was a Study Day, and also, by coincidence, St Patrick’s Day.

Upon crossing the equator, a Pollywog becomes a Shellback. And if you are fortunate to cross hit 0 longitude and 0 latitude, you reach the exalted status of Emerald Shellback.

But it’s not just a matter of crossing the imaginary line. You have to go through a few trials first before being deemed worthy of the honor by King Neptune himself. The trials involve being doused with fish guts, diving into the cleansing pool, kissing a fish, and then kneeling before the King to pledge allegiance and ask permission to cross the equator.

The one final (and optional) way in which you could also commemorate the occasion was by shaving your head. The numbers of students (with a smattering of children and adults), both male and female, who made this choice was significant, and the royal barbers were kept busy into the afternoon, amid the chaos of celebration – with loud music and wild dancing, of course.

What a spectacle! There sure wasn’t a lot of “studying” being done on Study Day.

King Neptune's Army (our cabin crew) march through the hallways banging on drums
(and pots and pans...), rousing the pollywogs from their slumbers.

A lovely lady of King Neptune's Court (one of our Resident Directors).

Our Master of Ceremonies directs the pollywogs through their different trials
while our ship's Staff Captain looks on (to the left).

The unsuspecting pollywogs await their trials...

King Neptune and his Queen!

The Royal Fish Handlers.

Students line up, all smiles...

and get doused with fish guts! (or rather a blue-ish goo substitute...)

Faculty don't get a free pass...

And neither do staff or their families...

Or recently minted officers!

Diving into the cleansing pool...

Kissing the fish...yuck!

Kneeling before King Neptune to swear allegiance and kiss his ring....

It's all good...