How many of you know the origin of the ironworkers’ “Topping Out Ceremony”? 

I’ll bet most of the public and construction folks don’t realize that the tradition of putting an evergreen tree on the last big beam of steel being swung in place is a European custom handed down through the carpentry guilds from pre-Christian European times.  (Find out more by using search term: Topping Out).

Today, a Topping Out Ceremony will usually start with a party on the ground that includes the placement of the evergreen and the nation’s flag on the last large beam to be swung into place.  The beam is then signed in chalk or marker by the “dignitaries” and trade workers.   And, if the General Contractor is really in the know, he or she uses this opportunity to remind workers of the safe job they have done so far with an appeal for the same awareness as the structure continues into the next phases. 

Along with the blessing of the tree-spirits, I wish you a safe and prosperous new year.   Jan Thomas