In just about all cultures, it is traditional to throw a party when the roof is installed onto a new house. In New Zealand, this party is called a “roof shout”. The proprietors are expected to supply food and lubrication for the troupe of people who have worked on the house. Typically this involves enough beer to float a small navy.
The term “shout” is used in the Southern Hemisphere to refer to the altruistic act of purchasing intoxicating beverages for consumption by other persons. (“Hey, I bought the last round, mate, it’s your shout now.”) When used outside the context of a pub, the term usually implies food as well as drink.
On ne peut plus cool...
In New Zealand, it is the custom to plant a flag or pennant on the newly-laid roof. Since the house in question has, in fact, three roofs, three black tarpaulin pennants flew that day.
In France, the custom is to place a bouquet of flowers on the chimney. Since we have no chimney, the makeshift flagpole would have to do.
And after the roof shout, it’s back to work -- at least, assuming you can still hold a hammer straight.
Next installment: A tour in the rain
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Please send any comments to Mark James at tmarkjames@yahoo.com.
This page was last updated on 14 October 2003.