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| Becoming a Jubilee Doctor |
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First, a glimpse from a nice corner of Uppsala,
situated 70 kilometers North of the capital Stockholm. In the red building on the top -- the castle, dating back to the 1500's -- the promotion banquet was held. 
Arriving at the centrally located university, founded in 1477 and with a comprehensive constitution (in Latin) from 1655, the view can be this: 
Setting: On the evening before the promotion, the jubilee doctors were, together with university top people and officiants, invited to a welcoming buffet meal in an old house close to the university, after which there was, at place in the university building, a rehearsel of the next day's procedures. 
The semi-circular 'aula' has some 1800 seats, an 'abside' (mostly for the musicians), and a high 'podium' with a huge pulpit in white and gold. On occasions like this, that pulpit is regarded as a 'Parnassos', to be figuratively and practically embarked by the new doctors. The jubilee doctors, aged 81 - 89, are instead (considerately !) promoted on the floor in front of the pulpit. Processions: At 12.15 (with relatives and jubilee doctors standing at their seats), a row of students entered carrying a pair of banners and several faculty flags (maybe, it's called 'massed standards' ?). They walk up and along the back, until the flags form a large semi-circle. 
In this picture I happen to be standing just in front of the first flag: After this, there is a procession of promotors, in the opposite direction, followed by us 'jubilants', into the podium where we were then sitting for close to 3 hours. Simultaneously, the new doctors come walking to their seats. The following picture shows the student ceremony master standing in the middle of the podium, in order to indicate that this part of the procedures was concluded. My place was in the row Nr. 2, in the right half of the picture, just behind the row with four promotors . The next procession consisted of university top people, honoured guests, and the whole corps of professors and others. Those taking the four central seats were the Vice Chancelor (our 'rektor'), his (female) deputy, the ArchBishop of the Swedish Church, and the County Governor. Promotions: A total of 13 -- from, originally, 35 -- jubilee doctors (= those who got their degree 50 years earlier) were promoted, together with 164 new doctors. For each faculty (originally 4, now 8), the jubilee doctors are first promoted, and then the new ones. Those in Theology, Law, and Medicine, obtain pleated hats, wheras those in 'Philosophy' -- Humanistics, Natural Sciences, etc.-- obtain a laurel wreath. (Below I will only talk of wreaths.) The new doctors come to the "Parnassos", are greeted with "Salve", take some steps up and some steps down on the other side, are bidden farewell with "Vale", obtain the diploma, and leave after having made, at the front of the podium, a bow (or, optionally, for the ladies: a courtsying) for the rektor. We jubilee doctors have to step forward, shake hands with the promotor (who has first, ceremoniously, put on his/her own wreath, while standing on top of the "Parnassos"). The promotor then holds up the wreath and puts it on the skull of the 'promovendus/-nda', saying "Accipe coronam". After that, the rolled diploma is held up, two cannon shots are heard, and the 'promotus/-ta' is given the diploma, with the accompanying words "Accipe diploma". Finally, he/she has to make the bow for the rektor 'down under', and walk back to the seat. 
Here, I have just got the wreath, surrounded by 7 people 'in attendance': Finally, after a ceremonial 'exodus', we jubilants were photographed together with the rektor, and could then join our relatives outside -- for a new photography round. The next photo shows me, together with my three children 
... and, on the next side, together with three of my grandchildren. 
For your knowledge: This day, I was wearing the medal which I got at my retirement, for "30 years of appreciated work effort" (instituted by the 'Patriotic Society' ). The golden needle I had on the left lapel is my late mother's 'faculty needle' from the university of Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland. [The whitish thing on the right side is simply something we got in memory of the occasion.] Between the promotions and the banquet, we had arranged a buffet gathering, for the family and very old friends, at Old Uppsala, in a building close to the famous "Uppsala Mounds" which date back to the times of the Vikings. The last picture shows my daughter and me -- I with the wreath put aside, and with a horn from which I was drinking mead. 
I am happy to be able to share these pictures with you. Birger Drake juni/juli 2005 |
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Info in English |
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