Saturday, August 24th, featured two inductions.

It was a wonderful day in the Guild, both for the guests and the Guild Benchers.

Cellarmaster Torben Røgild seated the guests in the wine cellar. The atmosphere was lively right from the moment Ceremonial Master Svend Aage Suhr asked everyone to stand. The Benchers then took their seats at the high table, and soon after, the call was made: “Our thirst first,” which the Benchers duly followed, while the guests could only watch. Then, Chief Bencher Peter Reinau welcomed everyone to Christian IV's Guild. The new members were then given an orientation about the Guild and informed about who their new brothers and sisters would be—there are many well-known members who have joined Christian IV's Guild over the years. The Guild’s historical expert, Palle Bjørnstrup, shared a bit about the Guild’s history with the new members, managing to avoid taking the full hour that the Chief Bencher had warned about.

Everyone who wished to be inducted was called to the main table, and once all were present, they were sent on a city tour of old and new Aalborg. Forest Ranger Torben Røgild informed the group, when they reached the Guild's tree in front of the city hall, about its significance. The group then continued to the door of the Secret Passage, where one of the newly inducted members evaluated their newly received key to the Guild. It worked, and everyone returned to the wine cellar, where they tasted mead and were later served the Guild’s grand dinner with beer and “potato juice.”

The Aalborg Regatta was in full swing in the city, and the city’s adopted Frigate, Absalon, was among the many vessels. As tradition dictates, when Absalon is in Aalborg, crew members are inducted. On this day, there were forty-one cheerful sailors and officers from Absalon, along with a single local, who were up next. This took place at 4:00 PM on the same day, following the induction ritual described above. The group was very enthusiastic about singing along to the song that accompanies the drinking of “potato juice,” and the Master of Ceremonies and Chief Bencher humorous take on the harmful effects of alcohol was met with great cheer.

After the C4 dinner, the mood was, as usual, very high, and when troubadour Henning Kaastrup began the song “All Sailors Love Girls,” the cellar ceiling nearly collapsed—but fortunately, it held. Otherwise, it might have been necessary to postpone the celebration of Jens Bang's Stone House’s 400th anniversary, which is taking place this month.

A day that was nearly a marathon for the Benchers turned out to be a day filled with much joy and amusement — and with new, happy members.

In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Jens Bang’s Stone House, Christian IV's Guild organized two jubilee inductions—at both events, more than forty people became new members of Christian IV’s Guild.

Both inductions started with a bang, as the Aalborg Cannon Guild saluted the “Danish Signal” with three consecutive shots that echoed across Nytorv. All guests and Benchers were commanded outside Jens Bang’s Stone House to witness this, and if anyone was not awake, they certainly were after that. The sound of the joyful salutes carried down into the cellar, where there was a lively and cheerful atmosphere as the Chief Bencher and Benchers entered the rooms. As usual, the induction began with the Toastmaster encouraging a toast among the Benchers and guests—though the guests had nothing in their glasses and could only watch as the Benchers refreshed themselves.

The Chief Bencher welcomed everyone and briefly spoke about the occasion, highlighting the 400th anniversary of the Stone House and then how the Guild was formed during World War II, now having occupied the Stone House for eighty-two of those four hundred years.

Following this, the Benchers were introduced to the guests, who were then educated on the Guild’s history and informed about its laws and regulations before finally being called to the main table for their formal induction.

Afterward, the guests were given a chance to get a feel for the city of Aalborg with a tour, this time along an alternative route for practical reasons.

It was checked that the key provided for the door to the Secret Passage worked, and once everyone was gathered back in the cellar, they were allowed to taste the ancient divine drink, mead.

Then it was time for the Guild’s jubilee brunch, and especially to taste the “potato juice,” consisting of Rød Aalborg. Afterward, the Guild’s two-man band entertained the guests, and they sang beautiful songs about community and the value of togetherness.

The importance of this to the Guild is emphasized by the fact that the Guild has inducted more than 8,000 people from 105 nations over the years.

Everything comes to an end, including the good times at such an induction.

We are pleased to congratulate Jens Bang’s Stone House on its 400th anniversary.

See the pictures here

As usual, the day included an induction ceremony into Christian IV's Guild, and this year the event was significantly larger, with a total of thirty-six people inducted.

Rumor must have spread beforehand, as the Benchers entered the room to take their places around the high table with the necessary solemn tone but interspersed with many cheerful smiles and hearty greetings of "Hallo and good day." So, the mood was lively from the start.

Chief Bencher Niels Voss began in the usual manner with “our thirst first” and then “caps off.”

The 4th of July induction has been a longstanding tradition, involving the induction of individuals connected to the event. This has led to Christian IV’s Guild counting countless celebrities among its members, including Danny Kaye, Victor Borge, and Walt Disney, as well as many politicians such as Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, and numerous other famous actors.

This year also featured notable speakers, including astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who was the main Danish speaker. Already a member of the Guild, we were pleased to see him again. The main American speaker was Dr. Rachelle Kick, president of the only remaining college or university in the USA founded by Danish immigrants. Since her appointment in 2022 at Grand View University, she has shown great interest in the school's Danish roots and continues to promote its relationship with Denmark. The youth speaker from the USA, Jay Cannon, was born and raised in North Carolina and now lives in Denmark, where he has started an online media outlet reporting US news in Danish. Also, Fidelma McGinn, president of the Scan Design Foundation, who has consistently focused on creating partnerships and relationships, was among the new inductees into the Guild, as was the honorary mayor for a day, Lisa Steen Riggs.

As usual, all new inductees were taken on a tour of both the old and new parts of Aalborg, though due to time constraints, it was the shorter version of the tour.

All thirty-six new inductees were in high spirits, which only increased when the Guild's splendid dinner was served, especially when the Guild Troubadours played, encouraging everyone to join in the songs from the Guild's songbook.

The next item on the agenda for everyone was the Tent Lunch in Rebild.

This year's Tent Lunch saw over seven hundred attendees. Here, too, Christian IV's Guild is a tradition, as the Guild customarily has a segment during the lunch where various individuals are honored with a C4 tie or a C4 scarf.

After the Tent Lunch, it was off to the hills to listen to the speakers of the year and the musical entertainment.

A note on the weather for this year’s 4th of July celebration: recent years have seen formidable rainstorms, and in one year, the event was postponed by 30 minutes due to heavy rain. This year was different; from around noon, it was dry and sunny until about half an hour into the program in the hills, when rain made its appearance. However, it was not a total downpour, so weather-wise, the day saw improvements. Let’s hope this trend continues to improve next year.
See the photos HERE

Photo: Private

Jens Bang's impressive stone house on Nytorv in Aalborg has stood for 400 years this year. The remarkable building, which was almost Aalborg’s first skyscraper at its inception, has been bustling with life and activity throughout the years.

Christian IV’s Guild was established in a dark time, in 1942 during World War II. The guild was housed in Duus Wine Cellar and aimed to create a sanctuary for true Danes and to help and support families in Aalborg during the war. Due to the Germans and a sabotage attack on the wine cellar, access to the guild was granted only to true Danes via “The Secret Passage,” which only members had the key to. To this day, the golden C4 key is the visible proof of membership in the guild and still works for the aforementioned “Secret Passage.”

After World War II, the guild believed it had fulfilled its mission, but Aalborg City Council encouraged the guild to continue its work, both in terms of charitable activities and as a DISTINCTIVE Aalborg event. Since then, the guild has annually inducted new members from both home and abroad.

Each year, the guild also distributes many donations to social, humanitarian, and cultural purposes to associations and individuals whose work the guild wishes to support, as well as to special events such as the birth of triplets or quadruplets and significant life-saving events.

All these activities are made possible through members’ fees for joining the guild.In celebration of Jens Bang’s Stone House’s 400th anniversary and having resided in the house for 82 years, Christian IV’s Guild offers inductions to all:

**Jubilee Inductions in Christian IV’s Guild**

- Saturday, August 10, 2024, at 09:30 AM or

- Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 09:30 AM

The inductions will take place as usual in Duus Wine Cellar, Østerå 9, 9000 Aalborg.

An induction typically lasts about 2 hours - the jubilee price per participant is DKK 400.00, which includes the induction itself with the presentation of the golden key, refreshments including 1 beer/water and 1 schnapps, and a golden C4 pin to wear on clothing.

Come and participate - but be aware that there are limited spaces, as only 30 people can be inducted at a time - a total of 60 people. Therefore, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis for registration.

If you would like to be a member of Christian IV’s Guild and thereby support the guild and its charitable activities - THEN REGISTER NOW AND NO LATER THAN August 2, 2024, with your name, phone number, and/or email to our Guild Cellar Master Ole Bech Kristensen at email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.