Cantus

A cantus (Latin for 'sing'), is an activity organised by Flemish student organisations. A cantus mainly involves about singing traditional songs and drinking some to a lot of beer.

The cantus is being led by the senior. In most cases, the senior is the praeses of the student organisation that organises the cantus. He is responsible for keeping order at the cantus. He can punish people who disrupt the order at the cantus. Punishments usually involve drinking beer. The rest of the people are called the 'corona'.

A special group at the cantus are the so-called schachten. They are in general first-year students, who can be considered as some kind of trainees. They have the lowest status at the cantus itself and are responsible for going around with the beer to fill the glasses of the corona. A schacht is not part of the corona.

After each song, the senior says 'Prosit corona', to which the corona replies by saying 'Prosit senior', after which they all drink some beer.

The cantus consists of four parts. During the three first parts, normal songs are sung. In the forth and last part, also called the silent part, quiet songs are sung and every student organisation and club that is present at the cantus sings its own song. In between the four parts a tempus commune is being held, some kind of general break. Most people use this to go to pee.

If somebody wants to hold a speech they can ask to do so by saying 'Senior, peto verbum'. Asking for the permission to have a break is done by saying 'Senior, peto tempus'. The senior can accept or deny the request by saying either 'Habes' or 'Non habes'.

At a cantus, people wear pets and lints that tell something about their status in student life.

A codex is the book that contains all the songs you sing at a cantus.

The last years, the traditional aspect of a cantus has somewhat vanished, although efforts are made to restore this.

In general, the complex (and fragile) social status used at a cantus doesn't have any effect on normal life.