Last week we attended a spikning or nailing ceremony in the University library in Umeå. No it was nothing to do with manicures, it’s a funny Swedish tradition that involves soon to graduate PhD candidates using a hammer to nail their theses to a wooden board. It has been going on at universities here since medieval times when nailing was a valid means of scholarly publication. At Umeå they have an additional twist. After the nailing, the candidate gets a friendly kick in the bottom by his/her friends and colleagues – for good luck. Then the on-lookers, and the poor candidate, retire to have fika (coffee and cake).
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 20:49:44 +0000
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