Odd Fellows Symbolism & Teachings: An Overview

This is just an overview. To learn more, you must join and go through the ceremonies or degrees of Odd Fellowship.
Evolving from the traditions of the Guilds in England, the Odd Fellows were first founded over 280 years ago. Our branch, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.), was organized on the North American continent on April 26, 1819.
As an organization, the Odd Fellows is an international ethical and humanitarian fraternal order which aims to provide a framework that promotes ethical, personal and social development through teaching universal values and principles applicable to daily life. Teachings of the Odd Fellows are conducted through the exemplification of the Degrees of membership - Initiatory Degree, First or the Degree of Friendship, Second or the Degree of Love and Third or the Degree of Truth. The Degrees are conferred on the candidate by a chartered Lodge, and are teachings of principles and truths, presented largely by means of allegory, symbolism and drama. For Odd Fellows, the degrees in Odd Fellowship emphasize a leaving of the old life and the start of a better one, of welcoming travelers, and of helping those in need.
(c) Louie Blake Saile Sarmiento