Most funny/unsual/inappropiate thing that happened during a ritual.

[alphaiota]

during our model meeting, one of the sisters sort of messed up on one of her lines and i started laughing. i couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the meeting. the worst part is that it was a very somber time figuring it was the last initiation and model meeting our chapter ever had. we closed a few weeks later.

shelley j
sigma k

ps - any of you sisters eat a dove lately. i'll explain if you pm me

[astroAPhi]

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).

[ThetaPhiAngel]

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.

[GeekyPenguin]

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."

[ShaedyKD]

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..."

[kateshort]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
My chapter and candles are just not meant to be together.

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*!

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!

[KappaKittyCat]

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

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.

[AlphaSigOU]

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!

[tinydancer]

HEEHEEHEEHEE

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

[AlphaSigOU]

Originally posted by tinydancer
HEEHEEHEEHEE

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

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!")

[tinydancer]

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

[adpiucf]

Stomach growling at inopportune times... And I don't recall anyone ever saying anything like "Oh $%&^!" upon entering initiation, but a lot of times, people (like me!) laughed out of nervousness b/c they were so awestruck.

And to any ADPi's, I'm thinking of a word that makes me laugh everytime I think of initiation...

We never had candles inside our house (electric tapers!), but I have heard horror stories from older chapters!

ETA: I just remembered one more. A girl in my alpha class broke wind during her initiation, but no one knew... until she told all of us later and dubbed herself "Puff Daddy." LOL. I can always appreciate someone who can laugh at herself!

[ADqtPiMel]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

And to any ADPi's, I'm thinking of a word that makes me laugh everytime I think of initiation...

That was the exact point at which I completely cracked up during my own initiation and started laughing hysterically. I was really nervous and just kind of went over the edge. Oops. I guess there's a wildly inappropriate alpha in every class.

Also, my chapter used to run two initiation rooms at the same time, since we usually had new member classes of at least 50 girls. We would use our suite as "home base" where everyone could leave their stuff and the new members could wait, and borrowed the two neighboring sorority suites to run initiation. Girls in those chapters were warned NOT to enter their suite on that day, and we blocked off the hallway and put signs up all over the place - including OVER the doorknob. But still, every year, someone from one of the neighboring chapters would wander in during our initiation ceremony, stop like a deer in headlights, and turn around and run out. I never understood it - they would have to get past the sheet blocking the hallway and REMOVE THE SIGN covering the doorknob - wouldn't you maybe realize you shouldn't go in??

[ZetaPhi708]

ok, just one equation: moths+candles= really priceless moment and nasty smell....

really kinda makes for a good ritual blooper if you think about it...

[adpiucf]

This isn't really inappropriate, but it is rather sweet. My chapter has a lot of girls, so they are initiated in small groups on the same day. At Alpha Initiation (new member installation), I was in a group with 8 or so other alphas. We had just gotten our bids the day before, so no one knew each other. As we waited, we had a prime opportunity to talk and learn about each other.

One of the girls revealed that she had missed her high school graduation back in May b/c she had an emergency surgery. We decided she needed to have a make-up 3 months later (it was August). So we made her a graduation cap out of paper plate and construction paper, threw a bathrobe over her shoulders (we probably shouldn't have b/c it belonged to the house girl whose room we were assigned to while we waited!), hummed "Pomp and Circumstance" and called off the roster of graduates (just her!). I handed her a "diploma," which I think was just a rolled up copy of People magazine.

It was so funny, and she's one of my best friends to this day!