We ask our New Members to close their eyes as they are being lead into the room because it's just such an amazing surprise (you Phis know what I mean!). The best part is watching them open their eyes. I know I took a step back when I did because I was just so overwhelmed. Last spring, a girl said "S***" when she opened her eyes and then gave the thumbs up (her signature quirk) when we asked her a question. We try so hard to be serious but God was it funny.

Then last fall a girl said "Oh S***" REALLY loud when she opened her eyes. The President was so mad and was going to yell at her after the ceremony, but we told her to calm the heck down because she wasn't trying to be rude or not take the ceremony seriously. I hate when people get all bent out of shape like that. Yes, you should take your ritual seriously, but you can't be so damned uptight that it ruins the sisterhood.

Eh, that's about all. No catching stuff on fire (YET).

My initiation last month was held at the president's house. She has two cats, both with bells on their collars. They were chasing each other in and out of the living room making such a ruckus and nearly took down one of the plants near the couch. Everyone was just kind of watching them and hoping that they didn't notice the candles and start a fire. The jingling of the bells was so loud and distracting! Eventually, they calmed down and just sat in the middle of the room. One of the sisters just couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing, causing a chain reaction. Pretty soon we were all cracking up and making jokes about her cats now being sisters since they're both girls and have been through ritual. :D

My chapter and candles are just not meant to be together.

We all burn ourselves during formal pledging, without fail.

During Firesides, we set the candle on the floor now to avoid danger.

During the last initiation, the girl standing next to me set her hair on fire and blurts out "ISHT!" during a very important part for the new initiates. I punch her to get her to shut up, and she goes "IT HURTS!!!!"

During our last formal pledging, at the "I, state your name" part, a woman actually repeated it verbatim, rather than "I, Susy Oldbutt."

Slide to the left...
 

This past October, we held our initiation in a hotel ballroom which happened to be right next to another ballroom in which a wedding reception was going on. The ballrooms were separated by those huge movable walls, which are by no means soundproof. We could hear everything from the bride and groom being announced, to announcements about the buffett, and toasts. Then came the music. Initiation is a very serious time, and it is very hard when the "Chicken Dance" is being played in the background. I think we all lost it when they started to play the "Cha Cha Slide" (sort of a new electric slide/line dance song). Even our alum were having a hard time keeping a straight face. Next year we're thinking about incorporating the dance into ritual. "Three hops this time..." :p

No kidding; I now know why the electric candles are so popular!

During one DXE (local) initiation, one girl who had 80's spiral-permed, sprayed hair had her hair catch fire in the chapter room. Sisters to her sides helped her put it out, but *man* burnt hair smells *nasty*! :eek:

I have a funny recruitment moment to share, though. My chapter's CR is on the end of the dorm, and people habitually band on the window to have someone in the CR let them in the side door. Usually not a problem, except it happened *during the skit* the first round of skit night (when someone's mom was trying to drop stuff off, I think?). BANG-BANG-BANG! The person leading the skit tried to incorporate it-- "I guess someone really wants to join, huh?" and then it happened AGAIN! I was trying soooooo hard not to bust out laughing... I think the skit leader did really well reacting to it, but you never know what the PNMs must have thought!

That is so Animal House!

Our Initiations are in the early morning, and my little, who has blood sugar issues, has fainted at every one since her own, and at the exact same moment in the ceremony! We've done everything short of hooking her up to a glucose IV and still, without fail, down goes Megan about 2/3 of the way through.

While not really a Greek ritual, here's one memorable goof I did during a Masonic initiation ritual:

I was the Senior Steward at an Entered Apprentice (first) degree over at the lodge I belog to (Will Rogers #53, Claremore, Oklahoma), and at a certain point in the ritual where the candidate for initiation is presented at the door to the lodge room there is a few lines the Senior Steward recites when the door is answered by the Senior Deacon. I reply with the prescribed words for my part, absolutely letter perfect... except it was Texas Masonic ritual instead of Oklahoma. (They're similar, but different.)

And you'd never guess who happened to be attending the ceremony that evening -- two past Oklahoma Grand Masters who were accomplished masters of Oklahoma Masonic ritual. The brethren of my lodge never let me live it down for the rest of the time I was in Oklahoma! :)

HEEHEEHEEHEE

(tinydancer giggling at you because she has to learn her Martha opening before our Eastern Star meeting tomorrow night. We were installed yesterday.)

:D

Don't feel too bad... I gotta start memorizing the Chaplain's part and my mom's learning Ada. Plano 703 installed their officers last Saturday.

(recites the old test pilot's prayer: "please dear God, don't let me f*ck up!")

Good luck to you both. I was Adah last year. Maybe I could trade with your mom (HAHA);)

LAMO!!! :p I know EXACTLY what you're talking about! Lol! I think it gets everyone every time!

Pledging, Mason style :D
 

During pledging last fall a sister either burped or farted, I can't remember which...

And, during a second pledging (some girls came in COB and were pledged on a different night) we lost a sheet that the nm's are supposed to read off of... so, we scrambled at the last second to write it on the dry erase board in the room. During that same ceremony one nm just couldn't say 'tau' right. She kept saying it "toy" and we all tried so hard not to laugh. I don't know if she ever got it right...

When I was initiated this spring, the chapter president of the collegiate chapter wore a white THONG underneath her attire, and she spent the entire ritual trying not to turn her backs to us so we wouldn't know it. The sisters who were standing behind her were turning BLUE from trying not to laugh. At one point she had no choice but to turn her side to us, so I got to see what she was wearing. I called her "Thongelina" for the rest of the day. :D

astroAPhi, I almost said "Oh ISHT" when I walked into the room, too!

My entire pledge class did this, we were all SO scared! One of the sisters stage whispered, "I see we got the Dean's List group." :rolleyes:

The other thing I can mention was, as an alum, when something important started to fall just behind me during initiation. I threw myself backward to hold it up and tried to look nonchalant...

About as good as the male equivalent, "I, William Robert Bada**" (Billy Bob's formal name ;)) . That was the running joke at our degree rehearsals at the Masonic Lodge -- almost guaranteed to mane more than a few of my brethren snicker... :D