Life on board Manila galleons

There is a ceremony which takes place on board ships when they cross the Equator called 'Crossing the Line'. A member of the crew, usually the oldest one who has crossed the Equator before, dresses up as Neptune. He is attended by all the other crew members, likewise previously initiated, who dress up as Davy Jones and other assorted underwater dignitaries. The captain actually turns over command of the ship to this motley crew, and they proceed with much pomp and circumstance to put on trial everyone who has not yet crossed the Equator. Charges make much fun of individuals' idiosyncracies, and sentences run from hilarious to outrageous (Lovette, 1936: 42-47). I first heard of this ceremony as a child when I attended a travel show promoting South Pacific cruises. It is still practised today, and its origin is unknown, but considered to be very old. There are records of a very similar ceremony conducted on board Manila galleons in the seventeenth century.