Gaudy

Gaudy

Gaudy or Gaudie [ [http://www.ausa.org.uk/student-media/gaudie Aberdeen University Students' Association - GAUDIE ] ] (from the Latin, "gaudium", meaning "enjoyment" or "merry-making") is a term used typical to reflect student life in a number of the ancient universities in the United Kingdom. It is generally believed to relate to the traditional student song, De Brevitate Vitae (On the Shortness of Life), which is commonly known as the Gaudeamus by virtue of its first line.

University of Oxford

At the University of Oxford is a special feast held by one of the colleges. It is often a reunion for its "old members" (alumni). The origin of the term may be connected to the traditional University graduation song, "Gaudeamus".

Gaudies generally involve a celebratory formal dinner, generally in black tie and academic gowns (scarlet festal robes for doctors), and may include events such as chapel services, lectures or concerts beforehand. For reunions, the invitees are generally graduate alumni from a number of (usually two or three) consecutive matriculation years, e.g. 1972-5. Typically, Gaudies are held for each year-group on around a ten-year cycle.

Universities of Dundee and St Andrews

At the University of Dundee, Gaudie Nights are traditional student celebrations involving the issue of junior students with senior 'academic parents' in order to introduce them to higher education and to provide socialisation. These events are usually held a short time after the institution's Freshers' Week. The Night itself involves the academic parents (typically one male, one female) taking their younger charges out for an evening's entertainment at the parent's expense.

These evenings are followed by a Raisin Night which is used by the junior students to thank the academic parents (usually in a ritualised fashion) for Gaudie Night. This typical happens at some point in the early winter of the first semester.

Similar traditions remain at Dundee's parent institution, the University of St Andrews, but are however incorporated into a Raisin Weekend and the term Gaudie Night is not used for the first night. St Andrews has a separate ceremony known as the Gaudie which involves a torchlight procession and singing of the Gaudeamus in memory of a student who risked his life in 1800 to save survivors of a shipping accident offshore. [ [http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/kkc/events/index.html Kate Kennedy Club ] ]

University of Aberdeen

At the University of Aberdeen, The Gaudie is the name of the newspaper produced under the auspices of the Aberdeen University Students' Association.

Schools

* At Radley College in Oxfordshire, Gaudy is the name given to the end of year celebrations; occasionally taking the form of an evening event. [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:eeD6pSmK_NMJ:www.radley.org.uk/pages/admin/letters/notices.pdf+%22Radley+College%22+Gaudy&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk&client=firefox-a]

Cultural references

The Lord Peter Wimsey mystery "Gaudy Night", by Dorothy Sayers, is set at such a reunion at a fictional women's college at Oxford.

References

See also

"Gaudy" is also an English adjective, meaning "excessively showy in a tasteless or vulgar manner".


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  • Gaudy — ist: Jezioro Gaudy, ein See in Polen Gaudy ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Adolf Gaudy (1872–1956), Schweizer Kirchenarchitekt Alice von Gaudy (1863–1929), deutsche Dichterin Franz von Gaudy (1800–1840), deutscher Dichter und Novellist… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • gaudy — gaudy, tawdry, garish, flashy, meretricious are comparable when meaning vulgar or cheap in its showiness. Something is gaudy which uses gay colors and conspicuous ornaments or ornamentation lavishly, ostentatiously, and tastelessly {gaudy floral… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Gaudy — Gaud y, a. [Compar. {Gaudier}; superl. {Gauidiest}.] 1. Ostentatiously fine; showy; gay, but tawdry or meretricious. [1913 Webster] Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not expressed in fancy; rich, not gaudy. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Gay;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gaudy — (adj.) showy, tastelessly rich, 1580s, probably ultimately from M.E. gaudi large, ornamental bead in a rosary (early 14c.); but there is a parallel sense of gaudy as full of trickery (1520s), from M.E. gaud deception, trick, from gaudi a jest,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Gaudy — Gaud y, n. A feast or festival; called also {gaud day} and {gaudy day}. [Oxford Univ.] Conybeare. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gaudy — Gaudy, Franz Bernhard Heinrich Wilhelm, Freiherr von, Dichter und Novellist, geb. 19. April 1800 in Frankfurt a. O. als Sprößling einer aus Schottland stammenden Familie, gest. 6. Febr. 1840 in Berlin, erhielt seine Bildung im College français zu …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Gaudy —   [ di], Franz Freiherr von, Schriftsteller, * Frankfurt (Oder) 19. 4. 1800, ✝ Berlin 5. 2. 1840; stammte väterlicherseits aus einer schottischen Familie, war 1818 33 Offizier und lebte dann als freier Schriftsteller, mit A. von Chamisso und W.… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • gaudy — gaudy; gaudy·ware; …   English syllables

  • Gaudy — Gaud y, n.; pl. {Gaudies} [See {Gaud}, n.] One of the large beads in the rosary at which the paternoster is recited. [Obs.] Gower. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gaudy — Gaudy, 1) Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst v. G., geb. den 23. Aug. 1725 in Spandau, trat, nachdem er seine Studien auf der Universität Königsberg beendet hatte, 1744 als Cadet der Garde in die preußische Armee. 1757 war er als Hauptmann u. Flügeladjutant …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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