Tag Archives: initiation ritual

The Star and Crescent

Text

“In my fraternity, Kappa Sigma, every new member must memorize a historic passage called the Star and Crescent. Besides other responsibilities as new members such as getting to know every brother in the house and earning their trust to become their fellow brother, the Star and Crescent must be memorized to perfection and able to be recited aloud. Once we can repeat each line to the brothers and have fully earned their respect, we are free to be initiated as official members of the Kappa Sigma chapter. I remember me and my boys, particularly —- and —–, would stay up late at night in one of our dorms just reciting it together. Not only was it something every brother has to do but it taught us how to be a good member of the frat. I remember my anxiety as the day to recite it in front of our executive came. I was so scared to mess up that even after I memorized it I still would practice at least 30 minutes a day following that.”

Context

I first learned about this passage when one of the brothers, —-, told us we had to have this memorized by heart before we could be initiated into the chapter. I remember seeing a large print version of the text framed on the wall. When I read it I knew it was specific to every Kappa Sigma, so I was not surprised when we were told to memorize it. After reading it over and over I came to appreciate its message about the honor of being a Kappa Sigma and the fact that not everyone is suited to be initiated into this chapter. It tells you that a man must be intelligent, honorable, truthful, and worthy to wear the star and crescent.

Analysis

Rites of passage such as this account of his fraternity shows how certain folk groups around the world require initiation rituals that are either physical or verbal. Shared knowledge of passages by memory create shared culture and identity between members of these groups. In knowing each and every member went through the same process and held the same requirements, they can share mutual respect because each knew what it took to join. Shared experiences that are turned into folklore help those in the folk group bond and create memories for life. This rite of passage is an example of an initiation ritual that represents members commitment to the fraternity. Beyond just memorization, is the history and shared journeys behind reciting these words, distinguishing the brothers as one folk group. This process before becoming a brother reveals a folk concept known as liminality because it is the middle ground between a non-member and a brother of this fraternity.

First Sale: Bell Ringing

OB: At the Real Estate firm that I interned at, they have this massive brass bell in the lobby that no one is allowed to touch. When a new agent closes their very first deal, the entire office stops working and the intern rings the bell as hard as they can. We weren’t allowed to decorate our desk or put up our nameplate until the bell was rung.

Context: The informant is a senior majoring in business who I met during a group project. He witnessed and eventually participated in this ritual of initiation in a formal business setting. To him, the bell ringing felt like a public and declaritive validation of his professional worth.

Analysis: This is a ritual of initiation as well as a transformation ritual. He not only was initiated into a new group of people with shard folkloristic practices, he was also transformed into an official worker for the company, marking a period in which he became a legitimate member of a community. This status elevation ceremony transitions him from a state of dependency to a state of agency.

Trojan Marching Band Rights of Passage

CL: I was in the marching band [Trojan Marching Band], and it’s this big, big thing, especially being a first year, to have two sort of rights of passage or hazing or other traditions to kind of make your way fully into whatever section or whatever instrument you’re a part of. So the first one would be for trumpets, as I am a trumpet. Um, it would be a night called Carne, in which there would be this big feast, and then afterwards, um, all of the first years would go in, answer a couple of trivia questions, and then come out one by one, and effectively answer a few of those questions, and get water balloons thrown at them, completely drenched. And I remember at some point, there was like a slip and slide, a handful of other things, but it’s also, this is a place where you would either get, like, your name for the band, or you would get it at a later. This would be like the first time where you would actually get your name for the band or your band name in that sense.

Interviewer: What is a band name?

CL: It’s just kind of like a nickname for each of the other band members that you get your first year, either in that section or as part of the band, that then it’s like a thing that for your next year, the first year is try to guess everyone’s band names or try to figure out whose band name is whose, because in all the group chats, no one uses their actual name for like the first half of the semester. They just use their band name. But then, in addition to that, there is the every year there is the USCxUCLA game, and then the entire week, that’s called Fuck The Week. Um, every section sort of has this tradition where they go to Tommy’s chili cheeseburgers, the original Tommies, at least for us, it has to be the original Tommy’s. Every single time. And concoct a very vile brew. Um, then the first years would have to drink. And of course, there’s like a little bit more leniency now, but when you did do this, it was like, now you’re part of the section. Like, before it was like the first step that, like, welcome to the band, but then now you’re part of, like, this intersection family.

Interviewer: And it’s just a drink mixed with a bunch of different things?

CL: It’s root beer and chili…It’s not great.

Interviewer: So, do you have to drink the whole glass or just a sip?

CL: Uh, the whole glass. Um, but it’s bad because it gathers on the bottom…It’s not great. But it has been done for as long as I’ve known it, as well as my brother, who was in the band before me, and then everyone before him, like almost everyone’s done it.

Context: Discussing rights of passage in class, CL was able to describe to me their time in the Trojan Marching Band as a trumpet player. Then, going on to describe how one acquires a “band name,” as well as different initiation/hazing rituals that truly make one a part of the TMB family. These are generational traditions – and while they are less harsh and strict now, they are rooted in traditions that have been happening for years and years prior. AN experience shared through many past and current members.

Analysis: This interview shows how group tradition ( in this case, the USC Trojan Marching Band) is used to create a strong sense of belonging, even if they involve a bit of discomfort or embarrassment. Events like “Carne,” getting a band name, and drinking the chili/root beer mix at the original Tommy’s chili cheeseburgers act as rites of passage that separate first years from returning members and mark the moment someone fully becomes part of the group. Despite some of these traditions seeming closer to hazing, they’re framed more as bonding experiences, where everyone has gone through the same thing and can relate to each other because of it. The idea of band names is especially important because it creates a shared identity within the group. Overall, these traditions show how organizations build tight communities through repeated rituals.

Sausage

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Morris Plains, NJ, USA
Language: English

It is a men-only post-show tradition that was invented at the local high school theater and celebrated between grade meshing as well as the seniors’ final shows. 

“I didn’t join theater till my sophomore year which had [J] and [C] as the ring leaders of the seniors. They introduced me and the freshman to sausage. It was crazy at first, but a ton of fun. There’s the song sausage, but its cool because there are a lot of singers who have their own verses that all end with ‘but I still get sausage’. All the seniors make their own verses and we[all the male members of theater] all jump around and have fun in there. For closing night, both guys and girls come in and all the seniors get a voice. We would also put a freshman in a safe and bang a beat on it as like an initiation. It was a fun thing to look forward to.”

The ritual reminds me of a fraternity initiation(with less danger). They all sing and jump around in an exclusively male space, singing a song that is an allusion to sex. It can also be very inclusive because theaters are a LGBTQ dominated space, and they allow trans men to be included in Sausage. It’s also a fun tradition to pass down to other generations and a good, safe way to celebrate after a show. It creates community between the younger years and celebrates the graduating Senior class.

The Champions Chalice

Nationality: Malaysian

Occupation: Full time student

Residence: Baltimore, MD

Item: A silver vase called The Champion’s Chalice

Context: The informant played on a rugby team and told me about a tradition involving a silver vase nicknamed “The Champion’s Chalice” that a previous member of the team had stolen. After a win, the rugby team would gather and everyone would drink beer out of the vase to celebrate the victory. After every match the team would gather and drink, but the Chalice was only used following a victory.

Analysis: Both the vase itself and the use of it give insight into the brotherhood that forms within a rugby team. The origin of the vase was it being stolen; when it was first stolen, nobody on the team snitched about who stole it, showing a commitment to supporting teammates off the field. The ritual of drinking out of the vase following a win acts as a form of initiation into the team, and as an extension the brotherhood. For a new member of the team, they must prove their strength by contributing to a winning team, and once they have proven themselves they can share a drink alongside their teammates. For existing members of the team, the Chalice acted as a physical prop to commemorate a victory, and distinguish wins from losses.