A few years ago, I read an article that said that in Finland PhD doctoral students receive a hat, a sword, and a diploma when they graduate. A SWORD! A HAT! Tell me more…
The Doctor’s Sword “is a symbol for the scientist’s fight for what he or she, in rigorous research, has found to be good, right and true” states the University of Oulu in Finland. The top hat and the emblem, which vary in color according to university and degree, “is a symbol of liberty. Furthermore, it is a symbol of scholarship and freedom of research.” How wonderful!
So basically PhD doctorates purchase their own top hat (its custom made) and doctorate sword (its engraved) to wear to graduation. Graduation or Conferment at most Finnish Universities is a three day event starting with the Sword Sharpening or Whetting Ceremonies (some graduates do not actually whet their swords and some whet them with champagne), a Church Service, the Conferment Ceremony, a Outing Around Town, and a Conferment Banquet and Ball, plus all these events are mixed in with lunches and dinners, and one Department at the University of Helsinki even has a Salute to the Rising Sun at 4am. Also at most Finnish Universities, such as the University of Oulu or the University of Helsinki, all of these events have a dress code of black tailcoat and white bow tie plus gloves for the men and long black dress and black gloves for the women (University of Oulu and Melanders Hattfabrik). There are also official photos and the traditional graduation fees, which is something that all universities have in common. I remember my own PhD graduation ceremony this past December and how some graduates where in shorts and tennis shoes. I celebrated after the ceremony with friends Madeline and Brian at the Waffle House. Now, everyone loves the Waffle House, but its no formal banquet and ball.
My great grandparents on my dad’s side were from Finland, but they moved to Minnesota, but Dad was always proudly 100% Finnish and a firm believer in the sauna (wellll…Dad always said he was 100% Finnish, but my DNA results show that I am 48% Finnish, as well as 1% from Sweden/Denmark and 1% from Norway from Dad’s side of the family) and so I wanted a Finnish Doctoral sword! My Dad would have loved the idea of my getting a sword (Mom just rolled her eyes when she saw it). Flash forward a few years and I continued to think about the Doctoral sword. So finally with PhD in hand I finally ordered my Doctoral sword! I sadly did not get the hat, as I am not sure when the need for a top hat might arise.
The Doctoral sword has my name and date of conferment – Melissa Aho 12/10/2021 engraved on the scabbard and its 71 cm or a little over 27 inches long or a little over 2 feet. It does not have an emblem on it, as they only have them for Finnish Universities and I graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in the United States.
Here is the official blurb on the Doctoral Sword from Melanders Hattfabrik sellers of Doctoral hats and swords where I purchased my Doctoral sword.
THE DOCTORAL SWORD
“Doctoral swords are being made exclusively for us by WKC Solingen according to Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s original design. The gilding used in the decorations of the sword is 24 carats and the German quality is visible in every detail.
The sword symbolises truth and it is a weapon used for defending the truth, righteousness and goodness. The sword used in the degree ceremony is an officially recognised civilian sword of the independent Finnish state designed by Axel Gallen-Kallela. The Sword comes with a scabbard, a gold holder as well as a strap for tightening and a storage sleeve. Attached to the sword is the university emblem and often also an engraving of the doctor’s name and the date of conferment.
The sword is carried on the left side. For men, the scabbard of the sword is attached to the trousers with a sturdy tether. The sword itself will stay snugly in place thanks to a fastener on the scabbard. For ladies, a belt befitting the dress, or the like, for the purpose of carrying the sword must be included. If attaching the sword to the dress is too troublesome it can also be carried in the left hand.
Some universities and faculties do not use a sword. When travelling by plane the sword must be checked in.
There are two lengths to choose from (blade): Shorter (71 cm) for people under 175 cm or longer (81 cm) for people over 175 cm. The delivery time for the sword is about two weeks.”
If you order a Doctoral sword or hat here are some things to think about:
-The Doctoral sword is an officially recognized civilian sword of an independent Finland and was first used on the 200th anniversary, in 1840, of the University of Helsinki which was called Alexander University at the time
-The Doctoral sword is ceremonial, not very sharp, and should be used for decorative or ceremonial purposes only
-The Doctoral sword was designed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela – a famous Finnish painter who helped create a national Finnish identity
-Be aware that Finland and almost every other country uses the date format ‘day month year’ and only the USA uses ‘month day year,’ so I had my date listed as December 10, 2021 or 12/10/2021 and I added in a note about this with my order
-Swords come in a variety of lengths depending on where you purchase your sword from – the shorter (71cm) length is for people under 175cm or people under 5’9 and a longer (81cm) version for those over 175cm or over 5’9, but I have also seen them listed at 95cm and 85cm as well
-Some stores engrave your name and date of conferment on the sword and some engrave it on the scabbard, mine is on the scabbard
-Also depending on where you purchase the sword from there are other items you can change, such as the handle, some come with a protective case, etc.
-Most of the websites are in Finnish with a Google/web browser translation and somethings don’t translate nicely
-My sword was made by WKC Solingen, a famous German sword manufacture, but other stores make or purchase their swords from other places
-Instructions on how to care for your sword should be included
-Prices do vary between stores and from year to year
-Hats and swords are sold in Euros, so prices will change due to exchange rate fluctuations
-There might be an exchange rate fee posted by your credit card
-After you order your sword or hat, keep an eye on your credit card, as it might flagged as suspicious or fraudulent by your credit card company, so be prepared to tell them that yes you are spending hundreds of dollars online in a foreign country and yes, this did happen to me
-I emailed the store before I ordered to make sure they could mail to the USA and there were a few different shipping options
-Replies from stores might take time, so if they don’t respond right away give them some time
-The hats are handmade and take time to create, the swords take less time, but are engraved and so they also take time, so plan ahead
-You should receive a tracking number after it is mailed, so you can track its movements from Finland
-Mine was shipped via UPS in a poster tube and heavily taped, but yet one end was opened when it arrived – I suspect that US Customs opened it, as there is no way it could have opened on its own. US Customs is legally allowed to open any package coming into the USA, so just be aware and accept that it will happen
Universities that have information about the Doctoral hats and swords
University of Oulu
Tampere University
University of Helsinki Department of Veterinary Medicine Blog from 2015
University of Helsinki Department of Medicine Blog from 2016
University of Helsinki Department of Medicine Blog for 2022
Here are a few online Finnish stores where you can order Doctoral swords at the time of this writing – May 23, 2022. There are more out there and there are many more stores that sell the Doctoral hats that I did not list. These stores and their links may have changed when you look, so you should do some research before ordering.
Melanders Hattfabrik
Au-Holmberg
Oulun Koru
E.R. Wahlman