Kiss the cod: The Canadian ceremony, screech-in, has made its way to Canberra thanks to Come From Away

Anyone who has seen Come From Away will know just how enticing the small town of Gander, Newfoundland is. Located on the northeast tip of Canada, this island is quite possibly home to the world's most generous people.

As the musical tells, after September 11, this small community of 9000 opened their homes to the 7000 "come from aways" who were on the 38 planes left stranded after the United States closed its airspace. And anecdotally - and also from my own experience of talking to some of Gander's residents in the lead-up to the musical - Come From Away doesn't exaggerate. Newfoundlanders are simply just that kind, in and out of a crisis.

So why wouldn't you want to be an honorary Newfoundlander? Thankfully, there is a ceremony, known as a screech-in, that does just that.

Getting its name from the Newfoundland rum, known as screech - that you need to drink as part of the ceremony, it's a relatively simple procedure. There are a couple of catches.

First is that screech is not exactly a pleasant drink. Come From Away describes it as "bad Jamaican rum" and it gets its name because it makes you screech. But more so than that, the key part of a screech-in is kissing a cod - if you're lucky it's frozen. Or if you're even luckier, like me, you get to kiss the rubber replica used as part of Come From Away.

"Believe me, I've held a real cod and they're not that sturdy," Come From Away actor and Canadian David Silvestri says.

"You actually have to hold it so that the belly doesn't expand and all of the insides come out."

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It's hardly a pleasant thought.

But I guess that's part of the reason only a verified screech-in official can conduct a screech-in. Which, unfortunately for me, is the reason I am not walking around as an honoury Newfoundlander right now.

While Silvestri knows the ins and outs of a screech in from playing former Gander mayor Claude Elliott in Come From Away, he can't officially screech in anyone.

Aside from knowing what words to say, they also need to know how to hold the fish without getting its innards over everyone.

I'm not making this sound appealing - I know. But that is just the power the people of Newfoundland have. You want to be one of them, even if it means kissing a fish.

"I myself have been screeched in four times," Silvestri says.

"I love it. I think it's the biggest party. It's a hoot, I absolutely enjoy it. I recommend it if you go down to Newfoundland to get screeched in."

More and more people are getting screeched in. The success of Come From Away has seen an uptick in tourism for the small island. People flock to it, wanting to see for themselves what it has to offer.

And now that the musical has started its one-month run at the Canberra Theatre, I'm sure some Canberrans will soon make their way there too. Even if it takes four flights and 30 hours of travel time, something tells me it's worth the trip.

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