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.