Going international - "fraternities" in Italy

[Neutroroberts]

Hi there!
I am a member of the Italian student organizations - the so called Goliardia - is there anyone out there interested in "exchange" of opinions, ideas.
Here in Padua(Italy) we have a centuries old tradition of student fraternities, and we organize events (parties, dinners and stuff) whole year round, so if anyone is around we could share our traditions.
Gaudeamus igitur
Neutroroberts

[TSteven]

Kappa Sigma Fraternity, founded in the United States in 1869, traces it's history back to Renaissance Italy.

Kappa Sigma History
From the Beta-Nu Chapter of Kappa Sigma at The University of Kentucky

Kappa Sigma's historical and spiritual founding took place 1400 in Bologna, Italy; "The City of Letters." A Greek scholar by the name of Manuel Chrysoloras came to Italy as an emissary from the Greek Emperor and became a professor of Greek at the University of Bologna. While at Bologna he and five of his students formed a society based on the mutual protection of its members from the corrupt and evil governor of Bologna, Baldassare Cossa. Cossa practiced robbery and extortion on the university students. The work of these men inspired another group of men to carry on this tradition 469 years later.

In 1869 in the United States, Greek Letter Organizations were well established. The first one in the U.S. was Phi Beta Kappa in 1776 which is now a prestigious national honor society at nearly every university in the Nation. Fraternities had gone into a lax during the American Civil War which ended only 4 years previous to Kappa Sigma's founding, and College Fraternities played a major role in the reunification of College Students.

At the University of Virginia, the situation was no different. Five men: William Grigsby McCormick, George Miles Arnold, Edmund Law Rogers, John Covert Boyd, and Frank Courtney Nicodemus came together on December 10, 1869 and founded the Kappa Sigma Fraternity at McCormick's residence at 46 East Lawn. These men formed a sustaining brotherhood which would proove to be so strong that it was the foundation for one of the largest College Fraternities in the World.

[Tom Earp]

Neutroroberts


Thank You for asking!

While TSteven, said is true, Many such as LXA Based its History with Ties back to Renne Du Anjou of France.

Greek Social Life of Many GLOs base their Herealdy upon the basis of The Old Countries.

If you are interested in giving some perspectives, I would love to hear them.

I am sure the Italian and German Clubs have different ideas

Please expound on any ties to Greekdom and how Your Groups came about.

[Coramoor]

I'm not that sure how any can claim to have their roots and so trace their history back to those types of groups...

I mean that would be like me starting a frat and basing it on Plato and so claim that our history started with his teachings...

[Tom Earp]

Coramoor

No one is saying except KS who traces their Heretige according to them and what I said. I have no reason to dispute it. Unless, You can prove something different, please do.

I Refered to Our as LXA going back to referencing ourselves with the Herealdy only. Refering to Renee De Anjou of France.

This refers to Our Symbol of the Cross and Cresent whereby a coming together of peoples.

I also dont think this has anything to do with the original post does it?

[Neutroroberts]

Hi!
Thank you all for your comments and interest. Now, to answer your questions ...
To make a very long story short, I will try to sum up where we derive from and what we are briefly:
The Italian Goliardia derives from Latin (vulgata) and medieval traditions, especially those of the "clerici vagantes" (students who travelled around Europe in medieval times in search of menthors and erudition, whilst conducting a merry life - see the Carmina Burana as a good example).
The Padua University prides itself as being the starting point of the Italian Goliardia. As the Alma Mater (the Bologna University), the oldest one in Europe was under direct influence of the Papal State and governed by priests, at a certain point students rebelled as they wanted more freedom of thought and left Bologna in a big group, moving to the Venetian Republic (which was never on good terms with the Vatican State). Venice gave them permission in 1222 to create a university in Padua, and thus the 1st "free" university was created. Free because it was entirely governed by the students, who selected the professors and paid for them, amongst the students 2 were selected at intervals to manage the university and were called the Tribunes. In fact the motto of our university is "Universa Universis Patavina Libertas". As students came from all around Europe, that is why the "nationes" were created - students created groups on the basis of their origin and wore specific clothes to identify the different groups.
My Order is one of these, and exists since the beginning of the Padua University, first written documents regarding our natione date back from the early 1400s. (We are divided in orders, corporations, fraternities and acadaemias). We are also members of a nationwide organization founded in the 1890s.
Our traditions and rituals are mainly medieval, and we use the Latin vulgata for formal communication. The ideals of the Goliardia are that when you are a student you should learn as much as you can but also have fun and enjoy life in a very simple way, always honouring the Gods of the Goliardia. Once you leave university and start working you have to become a "serious" and responsible person. Our most important song and hymn "Gaudeamus Igitur" best describes this idea.
Well, that's mostly it, I hope I have been sufficiently short and that I have not bored you too much.
I do hope that I have intrigued you a bit about our traditions.

Gaudeamus

Neutroroberts

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by Coramoor
I'm not that sure how any can claim to have their roots and so trace their history back to those types of groups...

I mean that would be like me starting a frat and basing it on Plato and so claim that our history started with his teachings...

Kappa Sigma can indeed trace its history back to Italy, with real proof. I'm not going to tell you exactly why though, as it is ritual.

[navane]

Neutroroberts,


Thank you very much for the interesting review of your order's history. It is very gracious of you to come here and offer to share ideas with us. Is there anything specific you would like to know about our organizations? The development of the North American fraternity system is a little bit more difficult to describe, especially since we have hundreds of organizations associated with several categories: social fraternities for men, social fraternities/sororities for women, professional fraternities which support a specific occupation or subject, fraternities which focus on specific ethnic groups, Greek-letter societies which honor students for achievements and so on. Here is a quick description of the American Fraternity Description which I have obtained from the following website:

http://www.hexagongirl.com/y/02-Amer...ternities.html

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In early Colonial colleges, student enrollment was limited to males from upper class families. The strict classical curriculum was based on memorization of Greek and Latin texts. Discussion or debate with professors was prohibited. The need to seek individual means and opportunities of expression resulted in the students banding together in "literary societies" where disputation and debate could be carried on without professional interference. The societies chose Greek names to identify themselves with ancient classicism.


Such literary societies existed at most colleges. Their object was training and drill in composition and oratory and their exercises consisted of debates, reading of essays and orations. The membership was large and did not foster close friendships.


On December 5, 1776, at the College of William and Mary, five students met in the Apollo Room of Williamburg's Raleigh Tavern to form a secret society for social and literary purposes, Phi Beta Kappa. It was the first organization in the world to identify itself with a Greek letter name. It had all the characteristics of a modern fraternity, the charm and mystery of secrecy, a ritual, oaths of fidelity, a grip, a motto, a badge (a square silver medal with the letters ¿BK and three stars standing for friendship, morality, and literature), a background of high idealism, a strong tie of friendship and comradeship, and a desire to disseminate its values through nationwide expansion.

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and

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In 1851, the Adelphean Society was organized by 19 young women at Wesleyan Female College in Macon, Georgia. In 1913, it changed its name to Alpha Delta Pi, and is considered the first sisterhood. Pi Beta Phi was established at Monmouth College in Illinois in 1867 as the first organization of college women as a national college fraternity. The Greek letters were used as a secret motto and it was not until 1888 that the Greek name was adopted. Kappa Alpha Theta was organized at DePauw University (then Indiana Asbury University) in 1870 as the first Greek-letter society for women.

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This is only a description of how men's and women's social fraternities and sororities came into existance. The others have interesting stories to tell as well.


Neutroroberts, does your order have a website I could look at? I am a member of Gamma Phi Beta International Sorority founded in 1874. http://www.gammaphibeta.org/


.....Kelly

[Neutroroberts]

Thank you for your replies, and sorry for my late reply (Easter weekend, you know!)
Anyhow, for KSigkid - I do not doubt your fraternity can be traced back to Italy, and indeed the existence written proof is a very important factor, I believe, in all fraternities. And of course, these are always secrets transmitted only to the members.
For Navane - thank you for your explanation - I wanted to know if US fraternities have contacts with the ones in Europe - for instance - we organize many so called "Feriae Matricularum" in different cities - these are events/parties to celebrate the beginning of the academic year generally and are organized by all of the fraternities of the same university. (I know that the tunas in Spain, and the fraternities in Belgium organize similar events)
Basically, this event happens in the centre of the city, in and around the university rectorate, with games, dinners and a ball, and the entire town community can see it (and also donate to fund the event). One of my proposals would be that if anyone comes to Europe for a visit or so to pop and see one of these events. What we also do during the year is organize jokes/pranks in the city, especially when someone is given a laurea honoris causa at the university (we cooperate quite a lot with the university administration and they sponsor us, as they want the goliardia to be seen around). I also wanted to share opinions/ideas on jokes/tricks.
Regarding web site - unfortunately, as we are quite secretive, we do not have a web site - in order not to divulgate our traditions to people outside our order. However, there are a few websites on the goliardia of Padua and certain events (but they are all in Italian)

http://dssp.scipol.unipd.it/SISP2004/tradizioni.htm (with a part on the "Polifonica" - an orchestra made up of members of different Padua fraternities, old and young ones)
http://www.pontefice.it/ita/77%2C62.asp (rugby match between the Padua and Turin fraternities)
http://www.bernardello.it/padova/pag..._goliardia.htm (also with a foto of some members in typical attire)
http://freeweb.supereva.com/piron.freeweb/index.htm?p (this is a web site of an order in Padua, in Italian of course, but if you go to the section album you can see some photos)

Neutroroberts