![]() As Britain became a maritime power and its growing navy required more ships, the practice of discarding the expensive cups fell out of favor. ![]() After taking a drink, the presiding official would pour what liquid was left onto the deck or over the bow and then toss the cup over the side of the vessel, to be caught by a lucky bystander (or sink into the ocean). Some member of the royalty or nobility would instead join the crew for a secular ceremony of drinking from the “standing cup”-a large goblet, usually made of precious metal and fitted with a foot and a cover-and solemnly calling the ship by her name. The religious aspect of ship christening died off in Protestant Europe after the Reformation, especially in Great Britain. In the Middle Ages, two friars would often board British ships before their maiden voyage to pray, lay their hands on the masts and sprinkle holy water on the deck and bow. These events almost always had a religious tone to them, and the name of a favored god or god of the seas was often invoked. The Babylonians sacrificed an ox, the Turks sacrificed a sheep, and the Vikings and Tahitians offered up human blood. The Greeks wore olive branch wreaths around their heads, drank wine to honor the gods, and poured water on the new boat to bless it. Many ancient seafaring societies had their own ceremonies for launching a new ship. The tradition of christening a new ship for good luck and safe travel goes way back. Before a ship slides from its berth into the water, it must first get hit on-by a bottle of booze, usually champagne. Here’s the lowdown on the history and physics of smashing some bubbly and launching a ship.
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