Salting (initiation ceremony)
Encyclopedia
Saltings were festive ceremonies which, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, initiated Cambridge
and Oxford
freshmen into the academic and social communities of their individual colleges. Humorous speeches by one or more sophisters (second- or third-year students) introduced first-year students to the assembled college society. Recently texts of several salting speeches have been identified. Relatively little is known about the conventions governing these entertainments; when the tradition died out in the mid-seventeenth century, most of the performance details were lost as well. Nevertheless elements of the tradition are preserved in the texts and may be amplified by students' diaries, tutors' account books, and university statutes regulating the custom.
. The latest dated reference is Anthony Wood's reminiscent account of his own salting ceremony at Merton College, Oxford in 1647-8. Wood states that the tradition, at least at Oxford, had fallen into disuse by the time of the Restoration
.
At Cambridge salting ceremonies, the "father" delivered a speech in verse addressing each of his "sons" in turn - punning on names, joking about appearances, highlighting personal traits or idiosyncrasies, or telling witty anecdotes about each one. The freshmen were apparently sometimes required to respond, but whether their ripostes were meant to be prepared or extemporaneous is unclear.
salting, "a great deal of beer, as at all such meetings, was drunk," and that after an evening of ovre-indulgence, he "got but little rest during the night; which had the salutary effect of making him cautious ever after, as he had evre been before, "to avoid all nimiety of this kind." Not surprisingly, this kind of skylarking provoked prohibitive reactions from the authorities. The Elizabethan statutes of Cambridge University expressly forbade saltings, but such injunctions were often ignored.
, God refers to his promise to Aaron
as a "covenant of salt forever." In the Middle Ages
, a pinch of salt was placed on the tongues of those being baptized, perhaps to symbolize their preservation from evil. This association of salt with a candidate's admission into the privileges and protection of the Christian
church may well be the root of the significance of salt in freshman initiation ceremonies.
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
freshmen into the academic and social communities of their individual colleges. Humorous speeches by one or more sophisters (second- or third-year students) introduced first-year students to the assembled college society. Recently texts of several salting speeches have been identified. Relatively little is known about the conventions governing these entertainments; when the tradition died out in the mid-seventeenth century, most of the performance details were lost as well. Nevertheless elements of the tradition are preserved in the texts and may be amplified by students' diaries, tutors' account books, and university statutes regulating the custom.
Contemporary Accounts
Saltings seem to have been performed - with periodic lapses - in various colleges in both universities for over one hundred and fifty years. The earliest known reference to the custom, dated 15-09-10, is the record of a salting payment made by John Fisher on behalf of his protege Gilbert Latham of Christ's College, CambridgeChrist's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
. The latest dated reference is Anthony Wood's reminiscent account of his own salting ceremony at Merton College, Oxford in 1647-8. Wood states that the tradition, at least at Oxford, had fallen into disuse by the time of the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
.
At Cambridge salting ceremonies, the "father" delivered a speech in verse addressing each of his "sons" in turn - punning on names, joking about appearances, highlighting personal traits or idiosyncrasies, or telling witty anecdotes about each one. The freshmen were apparently sometimes required to respond, but whether their ripostes were meant to be prepared or extemporaneous is unclear.
Official Reaction to Saltings
Salting nights were occasions for great celebration and were evidently notorious for their rowdiness. Simonds D'Ewes reported that at a PembrokePembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
salting, "a great deal of beer, as at all such meetings, was drunk," and that after an evening of ovre-indulgence, he "got but little rest during the night; which had the salutary effect of making him cautious ever after, as he had evre been before, "to avoid all nimiety of this kind." Not surprisingly, this kind of skylarking provoked prohibitive reactions from the authorities. The Elizabethan statutes of Cambridge University expressly forbade saltings, but such injunctions were often ignored.
Salting Payments
Periodic injunctions notwithstanding, Cambridge college authorities seem to have sanctioned - to some degree at least - the practice of saltings; many payments of students' salting fees, for example, can be found recorded in their tutors' account books. Each student was charged for his salting according to precedence and means: the generally accepted fee scale appears to have been six pence for sizars, two shillings for pensioners, and three shillings and four pence for fellow commoners. These fees may have contributed to the cost of a special salting night dinner to celebrate the occasion.The Significance of Salt
Although salt was sprinkled throughout European university initiation ceremonies, the precise reason is not known. From the earliest times, this mystical mineral has borne powerful connotations. In the Old TestamentOld Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, God refers to his promise to Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
as a "covenant of salt forever." In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, a pinch of salt was placed on the tongues of those being baptized, perhaps to symbolize their preservation from evil. This association of salt with a candidate's admission into the privileges and protection of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church may well be the root of the significance of salt in freshman initiation ceremonies.