May Day in the Middle Ages
It all started back with a “May Day” festival that was celebrated throughout Europe in honor of spring. The first “Siste April” celebration at Lund University took place in 1668. At the time the university had only been around for two years, barely had classrooms yet, but the 80 male students gathered to celebrate May Day.
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Celebrations in 1800s
The university had grown in size and each of the faculties “Nationer” had their own May Day celebrations. One year they decided that it’s better to have one big party together at Lundagård. Spontaneous drinking games, songs, theatrics, and some recurring antics gradually became established as Lund’s Siste April tradition.
One of the old popular antics among students, was to run around the university buildings and pay tribute to their favorite professors by shouting "Vivat!" ("Hooray!") outside their doors. Less popular professors received a "Periat!" ("Disappear!"). This was an opportunity for students to express something they normally would never dare to tell anyone. References to "Vivat" and "Periat" are still included in speeches during the Principal Courtship “Rektorsuppvaktningen” on May 1 by the Lund University Student Chair.
Traditions in 1900s
Lund’s Siste April celebrations were generally not appreciated by the town. In 1908, a large group of students sang and played accordion at Lundagård in the middle of the night. Police arrived at the park by horse and tried to disperse the group. When the drunk students refused to leave, the policemen rode their horses into the crowd with drawn sabers.
In 1926 a newspaper described Siste April as "scandalous spring-orgies at Lundagård" after a particularly decadent celebration. What had started as a Spring Festival increasingly became an excuse for students to drink all day. Lund University management realized that they needed to intervene and share responsibilities for organizing the celebrations. Said and done in 1928 (two years after the newspaper article), the university organized Lund's official sports competitions on Siste April in an attempt to encourage more healthy activities. Today a rope tug of war contest is still held every year during the Site April games.
Siste April Today
Around 30,000 students participate each year in “Siste April” - Lund’s largest yearly celebration on April 30-May 1! The traditions are very much alive: cap ceremony, speeches, student songs, theatrics, antics and games. And despite the university's efforts to keep things calm, it is still a heck of a party!
Did you enjoy your time at Lund? Help other students experience these wonderful traditions too! Every donation, small and large, is crucial to our deserving scholarship candidates. Your donation is tax deductible (for U.S. donors only).
