The screech-in ceremony is 50 years old and has become a tourism staple in Newfoundland and Labrador. But some say the tradition, which has become a money-maker for some businesses, is offensive.
The ceremony has four parts: drinking a shot of Screech rum, eating something local like baloney, kissing a fish and repeating a Newfoundland saying.
Musician Sean McCann said he never saw the appeal of the screech-in.
“It was never a good show. It was never interesting to me,” he told CBC News.
In McCann’s view, the ceremony promotes negative stereotypes about Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and makes fun of the province’s culture.
“We don’t need to rely on something that turns our culture into a cartoon,” he said. “I saw it as, you know, a gimmick to sell cheap booze to tourists.”
He also doesn’t like how the ceremony can promote excessive alcohol consumption.
“That’s not necessarily a good thing… I’ve been sober for 14 years,” he said.
McCann says he loves the province but he is tired of talking about screech-ins.
“I would caution Newfoundlanders if you portray yourself as a joke, people will laugh,” he said.
History of the screech-in
Crystal Braye is a folklorist who has studied the ceremony and works at Christian’s Pub — a bar in downtown St. John’s well-known for hosting screech-in ceremonies.
Braye said “screech” was a term used before World War II to describe cheap rum. When the United States established a naval base in Argentia in 1941, drinking Newfoundland rum became part of the “Newfoundland experience” for American service men.
Screech-ins are big business for bars — especially during tourist season, or when thousands of extra people are in town for events like the Canada Games. But as the CBC’s Peter Cowan explains, not everyone thinks they’re the best way to spotlight the province.
In 1970, the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation began calling Newfoundland rum “screech” to help promote the beverage, she said. When people bought a bottle, they would get a shot and a certificate to become “part of the Royal Order of Screechers.”
Eventually the Bella Vista Club, a nightclub in St. John’s, developed a screech club for tourists, and along with a ceremony that included kissing squid, as a form of entertainment. Braye said this is when the screech-in ceremony was born.
Then Myrle Vokey, a former president of the Teacher’s Association, introduced kissing the cod fish and added the iconic saying “Deed I is, me old cock, and long may your big jib draw!” to the ceremony.
Braye said the ceremony should be a welcoming experience, and not a form of hazing. She said she has seen screech-ins where people are forced to drink or eat stuff they don’t want to.
“But there are screech-ins … like Christian’s, which is more welcoming and educational,” she said.
‘I want to blow their mind’
Christian’s Pub owner Brian Day conducts Screech-in ceremonies every day of the week during tourist season and wants it to be a memorable experience.
“I want to blow their mind. I want people to say that that was the best cultural experience that I’ve ever had in my entire life,” he said.
Day said Christian’s Pub became a popular spot to do the ceremony due to word of mouth, and because it’s often recommended to tourists as a fun thing to do through sites like Trip Advisor.
As part of Day’s ceremony, he shares fun facts and interesting historical information about Newfoundland and Labrador.
But he also said he knows about the ceremony’s bad reputation, because sometimes it can involve forcing people to do things and being laughed at.
“I don’t think that’s cool. And I don’t do that,” said Day.
Day said he’s gotten positive feedback from people who appreciate how the province’s history is shared in his ceremony.
“When I screeched-in Anthony Bourdain, he said he learned more about Newfoundland in 30 minutes than he did in two weeks that he was here in Newfoundland,” said Day.
“I like teaching people about Newfoundland, and I do it in a fun way. I want people to share these facts just so they’re never forgotten.”
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