Ceremonial of the Kingdom of An Tir
Version: (2022)
The Crown may wish to invite the members of the Order of the Carp to come forward.
If so, the herald shall call forth the members.
And when they have assembled the herald shall read:
HERALD
During the reign of King Dak,
Her Majesty Nu Huang Lao resolved to honor those
who had striven for excellence in persona development, persevering in their task.
In China the CARP is symbolic of perseverance.
Thus, Queen Lao chose the carp to mark those
whose accomplishments in this endeavor were worthy of notice and praise.
She decreed that, in the manner of her homeland,
members of the Order may wear an embroidered patch as token of Her esteem;
and the emblem is: Gules a carp haurient embowed Or.
Their Majesties are minded to admit a new member to the Order of the Carp this day.
, the Crown invites your presence.
When the candidate kneels, the Crown shall say:
CROWN
We are minded to admit you to the Order of the Carp.
Will you accept membership in the Order
and with it the responsibility of continuing the development of your own persona,
and offering assistance to those who would do the same?
CANDIDATE
I will.
Giving the token of the Order, the Crown says:
CROWN
Then please accept from Our hands this token of the Order.
HERALD
Let the word go forth, from this moment
is a member of the Order of the Carp of the Kingdom of An Tir.
And the herald will exhort the cheers of the people.
NOTES FOR THE HERALD
This award involves membership in an Order, and so should not be given in the absence of the inductee.
Remind Court Coordinator to have token for the Order prepared.
(While Duchess Lao had agreed to provide these tokens, she is no longer active in the SCA.
Other sources may have been found for these tokens. Some Order members have allowed
their original tokens to be given to new members of the Order; the Crown may wish to ask
if there is someone who will offer their token for a specific recipient.) (If such a token
is used, the Crown may wish to ask the giver to speak its history during the ceremony.)