Of Matriculation and sub fusc and...Hogwarts?

Matriculation: cérémonie formelle par laquelle on devient officiellement étudiant(e) de l'Université d'Oxford. Vestige d'un autre temps, elle implique un discours, quelques phrases en latin et un certain degré de pomp and circumstance.

Sub fusc: Officially, academic dress that must be worn at Matriculation and exams, among other events. Unofficially, an occasion to wear a gown and feel like you go to Hogwarts. Oh, and to become tourist attractions when walking in groups.

Yesterday, Saturday the 15th, was my Matriculation. I dressed up in sub fusc, joined my fellow about-to-be-matriculated Oxonians and stood for a few hours while getting a speech from the Vice-Chancellor in the Sheldonian Theatre. Par la suite, mes amis et moi avons décidé de jouer les touristes en sub fusc en visitant Magdalen et Christ Church. (It's amazing how the Porters think you to be students of their colleges when you wear sub fusc!)

Pictures and posing galore after the jump:

Good morning, have you put on your sub fusc today? 

Actually my outfit isn't entirely complete here, seeing how I'm not carrying my mortarboard. That's right, carrying and not wearing, which we're not allowed to do for some odd reason.

Reporting to Hilda's Dining Hall before the ceremony. 

Neighbours! 25 and 25A Alma Place.

More posing with the housemates on the College lawns.

Making our way to the Sheldonian. La Rad Cam était
particulièrement jolie contre le ciel bleu de cette journée-là.

Il y a eu beaucoup de temps dédié au sport national anglais de faire la file, ie. "queuing".
Nous en avons profié pour prendre encore plus de photos.

Use #321 for your mortaboard: shielding your eyes against the sun.
(Nope, you still can't wear it.)

Finally entering the Sheldonian, with the Bridge of Sighs in the back.

Inside the Sheldonian.

Après la cérémonie...c'est le temps des folies!

Nous sommes allés jouer les touriste au Collège Madgalen (prononcé Maud-lin).

Nous nous sommes aussi faufilés dans Christ Church, sous l'oeil vigilant
du Porter (avec le chapeau melon). Yeah, we totally live here! 

Le Dining Hall de Christ Church: l'inspiration derrière le Great Hall de Harry Potter.

If we want to talk about Harry Potter, then I must include these as well...

B outside the staircase leading up to the Great H---I mean, the Dining Hall.

Our friend J. Yes his glasses are round. No he doesn't have a scar on his forehead...

The Road goes ever on and on/Out from the door  --- oops, that's Tolkien.
But hey, he did study and teach here at least!

We wrapped up our little tour with pints and pork pies at the Angel & Greyhound pub near Cowley, which has some of my favorite signs:

Thank you for reading! 

(Photo credit: Most of the these are mine, but some were stolen from various friends' cameras and Facebook. So many thanks to B, T and E for taking such awesome pictures!)