Newfoundland Screech-In ceremony: what to expect

There is a specific moment in every Screech-In ceremony when a visitor holds a frozen codfish at arm’s length, looks at it with an expression oscillating between dignity and dismay, and then — committed now, no going back — leans in and plants a kiss on its rubbery cheek. Scattered laughter, a cheer from the assembled Newfoundlanders, a shot of Screech rum (the province’s traditional dark rum), and then a certificate: you are now an honorary Newfoundlander.

The Screech-In ceremony is Newfoundland’s cultural welcome for visitors, performed at pubs, events, and gatherings across the province since at least the 1970s. It is silly, it is good-natured, and it captures something genuine about Newfoundland culture: the warmth, the humour, the deep pride in provincial identity, and the pleasure of extending that identity to people who have made the journey to the island.

The history of Screech-In

The Screech-In’s origins are as colourful as the ceremony itself. “Screech” is the name given to Jamaican dark rum that has been a staple of Newfoundland working-class culture since the Second World War, when Newfoundland was a British Dominion (it didn’t join Canada until 1949) and Caribbean rum was imported in exchange for salt cod.

The ceremony itself appears to have evolved in the 1970s, initially as an informal ritual performed by locals whenever a mainlander or tourist was introduced to the province. By the 1980s and 1990s, it had been formalized into a tourist attraction while retaining its core elements — the oath, the rum, the fish — and its genuine good humour.

The name “Screech” is said to derive from the American soldiers stationed in Newfoundland during World War II who, upon being offered a glass of the local rum, screamed or shrieked (screeched) at its potency. Whether or not this origin story is entirely accurate, it has become canonical.

The Screech-In ceremony: step by step

The ceremony varies somewhat between venues and officiant personalities, but the core elements are consistent:

The gathering

The Screech-In typically begins with the officiant — often styled as a “Screech Master” or simply an enthusiastic local — gathering the initiates (usually 5-20 people at a time in a pub setting) and explaining what is about to happen.

The oath

The heart of the ceremony is the recitation of a phrase in Newfoundland dialect. The most commonly used oath is a variation of:

“Is ye an ugly son of a gun, or is ye a come from away who wants to be a Newfoundlander?”

To which the initiate responds: “Indeed I is, me old cock, and long may yer big jib draw!”

This phrase is deliberately written in Newfoundland dialect, and getting it wrong — which everyone does on the first attempt — is part of the fun. The dialect features distinctive vowel shifts, verb forms, and expressions that genuinely differ from mainland Canadian English; the phrase is chosen to be maximally difficult for non-Newfoundlanders to pronounce correctly.

“Long may yer big jib draw” is an old Newfoundland fishing expression — the jib is the front sail of a fishing schooner, and the wish is that your forward sail always catches the wind: a wish for health, prosperity, and continued good fortune.

The Screech

A shot of Screech rum is poured and consumed. Screech is a dark Jamaican rum bottled in Newfoundland; it is not particularly unusual as rums go, though the story and the name give it a potency beyond its ABV. The shot is consumed in one go; this is not negotiable.

The kiss

The frozen or dried codfish is then presented. The initiate must kiss the cod on its face — the lips, if they can be identified on a frozen fish. The officiant provides theatrical commentary. This is the moment that photographs best.

Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) was the basis of Newfoundland’s economy for 500 years and remains central to provincial cultural identity despite the devastating 1992 cod moratorium that collapsed the commercial fishery. Kissing a cod is thus not merely comic — it carries a resonance of cultural respect for the fish that built a province.

The certificate

The Screech-In concludes with the issuance of a certificate declaring the initiate an Honorary Newfoundlander. The certificate is signed by the officiant and includes the date. Many Newfoundlanders frame theirs; the physical memento is part of the point.

Where to do the Screech-In in St. John’s

Yellowbelly Brewery

The Yellowbelly Brewery and Public House on George Street is one of the best venues for a Screech-In ceremony in St. John’s. The historic building, excellent craft beer lineup, and enthusiastic staff create an ideal atmosphere. George Street itself — famous for having more bars per square metre than any street in North America (a claim its residents enthusiastically maintain) — is the heart of St. John’s pub culture.

Christian’s Bar

Christian’s Bar on George Street is one of the most traditional pub settings for a Screech-In on the street. The pub has been hosting ceremonies for years and the ceremony here tends toward the more theatrical and raucous end of the spectrum.

Nautical Nellies

Nautical Nellies, just off George Street, is a popular tourist-oriented venue that runs Screech-In ceremonies regularly through the summer season. The staff are practiced performers and the ceremony is efficiently and entertainingly delivered.

Outside St. John’s

Screech-In ceremonies are available across Newfoundland, not only in St. John’s. Outport pubs, community halls, and hotels in communities from Corner Brook to St. Anthony offer versions of the ceremony. The further you get from the capital, the more informal and genuinely local the experience tends to become — which can be more memorable.

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Newfoundland culture: beyond the ceremony

The Screech-In is a gateway to, not a substitute for, genuine engagement with Newfoundland culture, which is among the most distinctive regional cultures in Canada.

The Newfoundland dialect

Newfoundland English is so distinctive that linguists classify it as a separate dialect — or rather, a family of dialects, with significant variation between communities. The accent, the vocabulary (a “mummers” is a traditional Christmas masquerade performer; a “luh” is a mild exclamation; “some stunned” is an affectionate description of a person being foolish), and the speech rhythms reflect the province’s isolation and its complex cultural heritage of Irish, English West Country, and various other immigrant influences.

Spend time listening to older Newfoundlanders in outport communities and you may feel briefly that you’ve arrived somewhere that English developed on a parallel track.

Mummering

Mummering is a traditional Christmas-season practice in which groups of friends and neighbours disguise themselves (cross-dressing, face-covering, altered voices) and go door-to-door in their communities. Householders attempt to identify the mummers through conversation and behaviour; once identified, the mummer can reveal themselves. The practice, nearly extinct by the mid-20th century, has experienced significant revival in Newfoundland communities.

Music

Newfoundland’s musical tradition is remarkable. The province has an extraordinarily active folk, traditional, and Celtic music scene rooted in the Irish and English West Country heritage of most outport communities. The form ranges from formal concerts to kitchen parties — informal gatherings in private homes where someone produces a fiddle, guitar, or accordion and the evening becomes music.

George Street in St. John’s has live music every night of the summer season in multiple venues. The Fogo Island Folk Festival and other summer music events across the province offer formal celebration of the tradition.

Jiggs’ dinner

The traditional Newfoundland Sunday dinner: salt beef (also called corned beef, slow-simmered for hours), vegetables including turnip, carrot, cabbage, and potato, and pease pudding (yellow split peas cooked in a muslin bag in the same pot). Simple, satisfying, and genuinely distinctive from any other regional cuisine in Canada. Found in diners and home kitchens across the province.

Incorporating the Screech-In into your Newfoundland trip

Our 7-day Newfoundland itinerary is built around the Avalon Peninsula and includes an evening on George Street in St. John’s, where a Screech-In ceremony fits naturally. The Viking Trail itinerary for the northern peninsula includes opportunities in outport communities where the ceremony has a different, more local character.

For a broader cultural introduction to the island, pair the Screech-In with the Viking Trail and L’Anse aux Meadows (history) and puffin watching at Witless Bay (wildlife) for a complete Newfoundland experience.

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Practical information

Cost: Screech-In ceremonies at pubs are typically included in the cover charge or cost CAD $15-25 per person, including the shot of Screech and the certificate. Tour operators who include a Screech-In as part of a broader St. John’s experience bundle it into the tour price.

When: Ceremonies run throughout the tourism season (June through September). In St. John’s, they operate year-round at certain venues.

Children: The Screech-In ceremony involves alcohol; it is not appropriate for children to consume the Screech. Some venues offer a non-alcoholic substitute (juice, water, or a local soft drink) for underage participants, while still completing the rest of the ceremony. Ask ahead.

Dietary note: Screech rum is gluten-free. If you don’t consume alcohol for any reason, most officants will accommodate a substitute for the rum shot — the ceremony is about the experience, not the drink.

Frequently asked questions about Newfoundland Screech-In ceremony: what to expect

Do I have to kiss an actual fish?

Yes — at a traditional Screech-In, a real codfish (usually frozen) is used. Some venues use a plastic or rubber cod for hygiene; this is less common and considered by purists to miss the point.

What does “come from away” mean?

“Come from away” (often abbreviated CFA) is Newfoundland terminology for anyone not born in the province — including other Canadians. It is used affectionately rather than derogatorily. The phrase became internationally known through the 2017 Tony-winning musical of the same name, set in Gander, Newfoundland following September 11, 2001.

Is Screech rum very strong?

Screech is 40% ABV — the same as most standard spirits. The shot is typically 1 oz (30 ml). It is a dark Jamaican rum with a strong flavour profile, but it is not extraordinarily potent by any measure. The theatrical legend of its strength exceeds the reality.

Do famous people do the Screech-In?

Yes — the ceremony has been performed on numerous visiting politicians, celebrities, and public figures, often extensively photographed. Prince Charles completed a Screech-In during a royal visit. The certificate wall of a long-running George Street pub makes interesting reading.