University Rituals
Encaenia - Oxford’s smartest parade coming up on June 19th
Honorary degree day is properly called Encaenia. It’s an ancient Greek word for a festival of renewal or dedication. It harks back to biblical times and was associated with temple consecration rituals.
An Encaenia ceremony has been an Oxford University occasion since its earliest days. Known as The Act, it was enjoyed for an irreverent speech and high spirits.
Since Elizabeth I’s reign The Act has included awarding honorary degrees: a dispensation of academic requirements sometimes to curry favour, at other times to advance the academic career of a phenomenal individual. Edmund Halley, who’d spent his youth single handedly mapping the stars of the southern hemisphere was thus granted his Master of Arts degree.
Distinguished awardees today include outstanding individuals from around the world. To be honoured this year are an economist, medics, and academics outstanding in their fields, celebrity Michael Palin and musician Anoushka Shankar.
By the seventeenth century The Act was felt to be too scurrilous to be performed in the University Church, it’s first home, and Sir Christopher Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre was pointedly built to remove it to a more suitable location.
The Act was further cleaned up with a characteristically Oxford tactic when Lord Crewe left a pot of money for a lavish pre-ceremonial ‘Benefaction’. Following this, he stipulated that only the upper echelons of the university and Doctors of Divinity, Civil Law, Medicine, Letters, Science, and Music, would process to the Sheldonian Theatre, starting the day off in solemn tone.
Once in the Sheldonian each honorand is presented, in Latin, and then the famous speech is given; once scurrilous it is now politely witty and thoughtful.
When undergraduates turn up in their subfusc for graduation it is impressive but you will spot loose seams, boots which are the right colour (black) but which don’t fit with the outfit, shabby gowns. Although laddered tights are strictly forbidden clues are clear that students have cobbled together something that fits the reglementary subfusc outfit.
Not so for Encaenia. The top-brass glide out ready for battle.
After the ceremony lunch is laid on at All Soul’s College. Honorands are allowed to invite a few guests and local dignitaries are also invited.
Yet more are invited along to the garden party thrown afterwards in an Oxford College.
This is a sweet blog with pictures from the party inside Worcester College.
Martin Scorcesse’s reaction to the whole affair is very indicative. Touched and baffled. Other honerands have described it as slightly Pythonesque. It’s a fabulous and touching occasion. If you cannot come directly it can be enjoyed on Youtube. Pedro Almodovar too.
Come and see the procession.
This year of 2024, Encaenia is on 19th June