Student tradition: cantus filled with beer, ABBA and whipped cream

Last Tuesday, the Erasmus Student Network organised the ‘Awakening Cantus.’ About 80 students drank and sang all night long in Café Beurs.

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“A Cantus is a common Dutch tradition where you sing along to songs and drink beer in a large group”, Dorsa Faghihizadeh, a member of the social committee of Erasmus Student Network (ESN) explained. Another member, Johanna Frank, pitches in: “Today, at the Awakening Cantus, we are going to start springtime together and the energetic songs we chose resemble that.” They have been planning this night for over a month and are super hyped. Virgilio Jackson, the chair of the committee, hopes that the vibe will be good and that the event will be a way to bring students from all over the world together.

When the tables are set up and people start walking in, the pitchers of beer get distributed, the drinking begins and attendees start chatting animatedly. “I don’t have any expectations, but I heard they are playing ABBA, which I’m excited about”, a student says. “A lot of drinking, a lot of singing and having a good time”, another expects. As the clock strikes 20.30, the presenters explain the rules: you drink when the drinking song starts playing and you sing when the other songs are on. If you break these rules, you will be punished.

As the night progresses, there are many of these punishments. The organisers add either vegan whipped cream, hot sauce or stroopwafel crumbs to the beer of the punished. When asked, a partygoer confesses the whipped cream isn’t actually that bad. Those punished with hot sauce are less happy. As for the quality of the beer, there are various opinions but as a wise, slightly drunk guy says: “As long as I’m feeling shit, the beer must be good”.

The night ends with the highly anticipated ABBA song, Lay all your love on me, and even after the official event is over, everyone is still singing, drinking and dancing the night away.