Do not go to the bathroom when staff is serving food or drinks OR when a spex is being played!

Feeling like the sittning could use a bit of entertainment? At any point you can start banging repeatedly on the tables while going “ooooo” in an increasing volume before ending with “TEMPO”.

After this the song and toast master takes the stage.

After a song is sung, glasses are usually raised for a “skål”, in English, a toast. The tradition in Uppsala is usually to raise a glass and to nod first to one's table partner (for ladies, the gentleman to the left, and for gentlemen, the lady to the right), then with the next person who is not one's table partner, and lastly with the person sitting across the table. After the three nods, one drinks and then nods to the same people in the reverse order. Finally, the glass is set back down on the table (ladies first). During some sittnings this begins very formally but then becomes more and more relaxed.

There are two (or sometimes one) toast and song master. They are in charge of the songs, schedule and “tillrop” of the evening! Tillrop - The toast master gives you a word or a sentence you are supposed to say after them everytime they have the first word. For example, let’s say the tillrop is “Better with ketchup”. After tempo, the toast master takes the stage and could say “Spaghetti and meatballs is...” to which the crowd would respond “Better with ketchup!”. After tillrop the toastmaster will say which song we are going to sing and on which page you can rend it in your songbook! The song and toast master is also the person to talk to if you want to perform a spex at the sittning so they can't it in the schedule!

To every sittning you bring your songbook. This is so you know what to sing when the toast and song master refers to a song, but also to switch with your new (or old) friends and write a message for them!

According to tradition, you are not allowed to read your messages until the morning after the sittning.

BONUS: There is also a tradition of biting o the corners of your table neighbour’s book, but if you do so you need to make sure that they are okay with it AND you have to swallow the corner.

A spex is a performance that is planned ahead of a sittning and usually performed by the people who are related to the sittning in some way (for example responsible for it). However, anyone can make one!

A spex is initiated after a Tempo has been started and Song and Toast master says that it is spex time. This is the sequence that follows:

The performers go up on stage and perform their first spex, after they are done the crowd yells “OMSTART”.

If the performers have more than one spex left they continue with their second spex and the previous step is done again. HOWEVER if they only have one left they will wave their hands to signal stop and in that case the crowd should call out the following:

“För det var i vår ungdoms fagraste vår, vi drack varandra till och vi sade gutår! Och alla så dricker vi nu the MER-group (or whoever is performing) till!”

And the performers should then respond:

“Och the MER-group (or again whoever is performing) säger bara...”

After this they perform their final performance and when they are done EVERYONE sings the final verse:

“För det var i vår ungdoms fagraste vår, vi drack varandra till och vi sade gutår!”

After which everyone cheers by doing a half circle while saying “Skål”.

BONUS: if you thought the spex was very good you can start the chant:

“Det var det bästa, det bästa, det bästa vi har sett!” And repeat it some number of times before you sing the final verse.