Encaenia
Encaenia is the annual Oxford ceremony at which the University awards honorary degrees and commemorates its benefactors, held in the Sheldonian Theatre on the Wednesday of ninth week of Trinity term. It is pronounced "en-SEE-nee-a", from a Greek word for a festival of dedication.
In practice
The day begins with Lord Crewe's Benefaction: heads of colleges, senior University officers and the honorary graduands gather in full academic dress in one of the colleges, a custom paid for under the will of Nathaniel, Lord Crewe, a seventeenth- and eighteenth-century bishop and benefactor. A procession in scarlet robes then crosses central Oxford to the Sheldonian, where the honorary degrees are conferred in Latin and the Creweian Oration commemorates the University's benefactors. The Sheldonian has hosted the ceremony since the late seventeenth century.
Why it matters to newcomers
On Encaenia morning Broad Street and Catte Street fill with academic dress and spectators, and some streets and buildings near the Sheldonian close to the public. The list of honorary graduates is announced in advance and often makes the news; watching the procession costs nothing.
Related
- Sheldonian Theatre - where the ceremony is held
- Subfusc - academic dress at its everyday level
- Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity - why "ninth week" is a date