The ship baptism is a ceremonial act traditionally performed before the launching of ships. During the baptism, the ship is given its name and, as a worldwide customary practice, a bottle of sparkling wine or champagne is smashed against the hull of the ship. Such ceremonies were already common in the fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia. The Greeks and Romans in the ancient wine also had ship baptisms. In Japan and China, a line connecting the ship to the land is torn at the launch - similar to cutting the umbilical cord at the birth of a human. Elsewhere, wine was simply poured over the planks, but there were also other sometimes gruesome rituals such as human sacrifices. Incidents during the baptism were always considered a bad omen.
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