Sittning

A "sittning" ("sitting") is in Sweden a meal had within a set time frame. Though it can refer to any kind of meal, it's usually used to refer to a student sitting.

A student sitting in Sweden is usually a dinner had at the student union's property, usually a pub room or such. The meal is prepared and served by the students themselves (a group of students usually cook and serve - the guests are not expected to, but may assist if they so wish). The number of dishes vary, but alcohol is usually included in the price (beer or cider and snaps along with punch). The dress code is different depending on occasion, everything from black tie to student overall can be the evening's dress code. Sittings often have themes, and the guests are encouraged to dress to match the theme.

A vital part of a sitting is singing. The guest is usually given a booklet with songs they are expected to sing during the sitting. Everyone sings when a song is brought up, songs are often related to the current progress of the sitting. Sittings often begin with a certain song, end with another, songs are sung when drinking snaps and there is often a song to honor the students serving and cooking. These songs differ depending on student union.

A gask usually starts with a sitting and then continues on with a party after the sitting is over.

For the Finnish custom "sitsit" see Sitsit.

References

Swedish Wikipedia on Sittning - http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sittning