The Cortège
Encyclopedia
The Cortège or The Chalmers Cortège (Swedish: Chalmerscortègen) is an annual carnival parade
held on Walpurgis Night
(April 30) by students of the Chalmers University of Technology
in Gothenburg
. The Cortège consists of 500 students and around 50 truck
carriage
s, each carriage depicting—in a satirical and comic way—significant events that have taken place since the previous parade. The procession makes its way through the city centre, where it is seen by around 250,000 people each year.
Before the first Cortège was arranged, students at Chalmers walked the streets with one foot on the pavement
and one foot in the gutter
each year on April 30, the day when Chalmers students traditionally exchange their black student cap
s for white caps. In 1909, the students decided to gather all the horse carriage
s in the city to travel the distance they usually walked. The next year, the Chalmers Students' Union
decided to organize a parade of student culture jokes. In the year 1911 a committee
, Chalmers Cortège Committé (CCC), was created to organize the whole procession. Ever since, except for 1912 due to exam scheduling conflicts, as well as 1940 due to World War II
, CCC has arranged The Cortège.
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
held on Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night is a traditional spring festival on 30 April or 1 May in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. It is often celebrated with dancing and with bonfires. It is exactly six months from All Hallows' Eve.-Name:...
(April 30) by students of the Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers University of Technology , is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that focuses on research and education in technology, natural science and architecture.-History:...
in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. The Cortège consists of 500 students and around 50 truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
s, each carriage depicting—in a satirical and comic way—significant events that have taken place since the previous parade. The procession makes its way through the city centre, where it is seen by around 250,000 people each year.
History
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
and one foot in the gutter
Gutter
panels of a comic strip or comic book page*Gutter , the space between panes of postage stamps that creates configurations of "gutter pairs" or "gutter blocks"*Gutter, in interface design, the blank spaces that separate rows and columns in screen...
each year on April 30, the day when Chalmers students traditionally exchange their black student cap
Student cap
In various European countries, student caps of different types are or have been worn, either as a marker of a common identity, as is the case in the Nordic countries, or to identify the bearer as member of a smaller corporation within the larger group of students, as is the case with the caps worn...
s for white caps. In 1909, the students decided to gather all the horse carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
s in the city to travel the distance they usually walked. The next year, the Chalmers Students' Union
Chalmers Students' Union
Chalmers Student Union is the student union at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. Its primary purpose is to look after the interests of the students of the university in questions regarding the education...
decided to organize a parade of student culture jokes. In the year 1911 a committee
Committee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...
, Chalmers Cortège Committé (CCC), was created to organize the whole procession. Ever since, except for 1912 due to exam scheduling conflicts, as well as 1940 due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, CCC has arranged The Cortège.