Today’s GIF comes from a ribbon cutting at a Nintendo store. I had to use it because if it’s not The Year of Luigi, it should be.

Why Do We Cut Ribbons With Giant Pairs of Scissors?

The evolution of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, as seen through the sharp blades of a huge pair of ceremonial scissors. Did a bridge just open nearby?

If you break it down, life is but a series of constant ceremonies.

Chicken dinners. Going to a place of worship (if you have one). Winning an award. Graduating from college. Birthday parties. Funerals. And of course, ceremonies to celebrate new structures, from buildings to bridges.

Often, these events are celebrated in very specific ways that highlight ritual — if you’re graduating high school, you might wear a cap and mortar; if you’re turning 21, you might go to the bar. In the case of building openings, a ribbon might be ceremonially cut, perhaps with a comically huge pair of scissors.

This is a common phenomenon, but it’s worth asking: Why? Pressed on by sheer confusion and a request from this guy, I made it my job to figure that question out.

“Shears and scissors are not novel, nor can they be classed among the inventions of later centuries. They have been used from time immemorial, and ancient mythology…