Five Benchers, led by the Chief Bencher and accompanied by the Guild’s troubadours, first visited Nørresundby Gymnasium and later goldsmith Kristian Otte in Østerå, Aalborg, to present the Guild’s The Good Spirit Prize to a high school student and an apprentice, respectively.

The entire assembly hall at Nørresundby Gymnasium was filled with cheerful students about to begin their Christmas holidays. During the Guild’s entrance, its representatives were welcomed with loud applause. Principal Søren Hindsholm introduced the Guild of Christian IV and explained that the Guild was present to award a The Good Spirit Prize to one selected student among the many at the school.

Chief Bencher Niels Voss Hansen then took the floor and spoke briefly about the Guild of Christian IV and its activities, including the fact that the Guild awards ten The Good Spirit Prize each year to young people in education. He explained that the Guild was present that day to present one of these grants.
The suspense was then resolved when the Chief Bencher called Magnus Nielsen from class 2.n to the podium. It was announced that Magnus had been nominated by several teachers, who agreed that he was the most deserving recipient of The Good Spirit Prize.

The Chief Bencher presented Magnus with an envelope and encouraged him to take pride in being selected and to carry his personal qualities with him into the future. As Christmas was approaching, Magnus was told—half in jest—that he might consider spending the grant on something slightly imprudent, though of course that decision was entirely his own.
The presentation was followed by thunderous applause from the entire hall, which continued as the Guild left the room to music performed by the troubadours, who had also drawn attention during the Guild’s entrance.

Later the same day, the C4 delegation arrived at Kristian Otte’s goldsmith workshop in Østerå, Aalborg. For security reasons, visitors had to ring the bell for entry—and it worked. The goldsmith himself opened the door. The Guild entered the workshop accompanied by music from the two troubadours, while the staff looked on with curiosity.

The goldsmith, his two journeymen, and three apprentices waited with anticipation as the Chief Bencher addressed them. He first introduced the Guild and its activities and then moved on to the presentation of the Guild’s Good Spirit Prize for young people in education.
Goldsmith apprentice Mikkela Kristensen was then called forward to receive the The Good Spirit Prize, having been nominated by her employer and master craftsman. The award brought immense joy to Mikkela as well as to her colleagues, who warmly congratulated her.

Mikkela also received kind words from the Chief Bencher and was similarly told that, since the prize was unexpected, she was welcome to spend it on something a little imprudent.

It was a good and cheerful day for the five Benchers, who returned to the Guild ater the day’s “exertions” to share their positive experiences.

The group included both former football and cricket players, as well as AaB members who had been awarded the club’s gold pin.

The AaB members were clearly curious about what the event would involve, but after we had carried out our traditional “Our thirst first” ritual and the chief bencher delivered his welcome along with a few anecdotes, they quickly caught the spirit of what was about to happen—as was clearly reflected in the atmosphere.
The Guild was introduced, as were the benchers, and the historical expert, Henrik Schou, shared the story of the old house. Although the chief bencher had jokingly suggested it might take an hour or two, the story was told concisely, including the tale of Jens Bang, who built the house four hundred years ago. The Thirst Master ensured that the benchers could wet their throats after taking in all this information.

The ceremony then moved on to the actual induction of the new members. They were called to the high table, where the chief bencher reviewed the Guild Charter, which describes how one should behave within the guild and what penalties one might incur in situations where the Charter’s rules are violated.

Despite these rules, all applicants still wished to be inducted. Everyone was therefore presented with the golden key, which grants access to the premises via the secret passage.

Next came the city walk. Led by music, the newly inducted members and the Benchers made their way through modern Aalborg and returned to old Aalborg via the alley behind Jens Bang’s Stone House. Here, the Guild’s historian provided further insight into the Guild’s activities, including how Duus was bombed at Nytorv in 1943 during World War II.

The master of the ceremonial then ensured that the secret entrance could indeed be opened by having one of the new members test the golden key. It worked, and everyone proceeded through the secret passage back to the cellar, where the chief bencher welcomed them.

Once everyone had gathered at the bar, the newly inducted members were offered a refreshing drink, having been without alcohol for about an hour. The drink was the ancient Viking beverage mead.

Accompanied by music, the new members were then asked to take their seats, where they were introduced to the Guild’s special lunch. They were welcome to enjoy the meal and beer but were instructed to wait before drinking the served spirits. These were later “sung down,” which had a positive effect on the already excellent atmosphere.

All guests were then presented with a fine C4 Guild pin, with encouragement to wear so they might recognize fellow members elsewhere and instantly share a common bond.

The Guild’s two-man band then took over the musical entertainment, met with great enthusiasm from the newly inducted members.

As all good things must come to an end, and with the atmosphere at its peak, the chief bencher informed the gathering that the Benchers would now take their leave and expressed his hope that all the newly inducted would enjoy a wonderful day in Aalborg.

The donation was presented to Martin Bossen from SafeHouse by chief bencher Niels Voss Hansen, overseen by ceremonial Master Svend Aage Suhr and Guild Forester Andreas Rasmussen, who, together with Guild Scribe Palle Bjørnstrup, make up the “Donations Group.”

Afterwards, everyone gathered for a glass of wine.

SafeHouse Aalborg was established by a private organisation in Jomfru Ane Gade, where young people can receive assistance from volunteers with everything from physical injuries to charging their mobile phones. The initiative operates as a volunteer-based association.

After a short pause in the Guild’s induction activities, we were able on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, to welcome no fewer twenty-nine new members.

Once the ritual toast “Our thirst first” had properly wetted our throats, the chief bencher began in earnest. The guests—among them former employees of Provinsbanken and a group of men whose hobby is metal detecting—were warmly welcomed. The chief bencher elaborated on the distinguished company they were joining, including none other than Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II and His Majesty King Frederik X, along with many well-known personalities worldwide. In total, the Guild has around 8,700 members from 120 countries.

The guests were also introduced to the individual benchers around the table, although the chief bencher forgot to introduce himself (he is a bit shy). Fortunately, this oversight was quickly corrected.

Before their induction, the guests were informed of the conditions of membership. The chief bencher went through the articles of the Guild Charter one by one and introduced the Guild’s “Virgin Expert.”
When all agreed to uphold the rules, they were presented with the golden key, enabling them to enter Duus’ Wine Cellar with friends in the future—though naturally only during opening hours.

To demonstrate this in practice, a short walk followed. Unfortunately, the route did not include the Guild’s beautiful linden tree at Aalborg City Hall due to preparations for the Christmas market at the Old Square. Instead, an “economy tour” led to the secret back entrance, where the newly inducted members heard the story of the incident in World War II, when a bomb was thrown into the restaurant from the front of the building and the unfortunate consequences that followed.

The head of ceremonials then asked one of the newly inducted to evaluate the key. It worked, and everyone returned safely to the Wine Cellar, where they were introduced to the old Danish drink mead, before enjoying the Guild’s distinguished lunch and learning the proper way to drink Aalborg’s famous “potato juice.”

There was an excellent atmosphere in the cellar, further lifted when the Guild’s two-man band led several songs from the Guild songbook.

As always, all good things must end. The benchers sang their brief farewell to the newly inducted, who continued to enjoy conversation and the warm atmosphere.