Topping Out: Giving An Old Tradition A New Twist

As the final beam of our new distillery’s timber frame was set in place, an ancient tradition was given a new twist in Guysborough, Nova Scotia.

Topping Out – the practice of placing a small tree or leafy branch atop a new building – is a builders’ rite that can be traced back to the ancient Scandinavians. For these superstitious folks, the tradition of Topping Out served to appease the tree-dwelling spirits who were displaced during a building’s construction.

Since those early days, Topping Out has migrated to the United Kingdom, Northern Europe and the Americas, with each culture adding their own twist, turning an old tradition into something new.

In the United States, the last beam of a skyscraper is painted white and signed by all the workers involved in the construction.

In the Netherlands, builders hang a national, regional or city flag once the highest point has been reached. It’s left there until the building’s owner has given free beer to all the workers. And if the flag flies for more than a few days, the owner is considered greedy.

At our distillery in Guysborough, we hung a spruce bough to honour the momentous occasion. Why spruce? We wanted to pay homage to another old Nova Scotian (and especially Fortress of Louisbourg) tradition where a spruce bough was hung above a building’s door, signifying that alcohol was served there.

Sometimes all it takes is two old, well-loved traditions coming together to create a new tradition.

Have you created a new tradition of your own? Please share it with us on our Facebook page.