Twenty-five years

The initial plan was to go home only for a few days over my Mum's birthday, but when I started looking into the flights I realized that this weekend before her birthday was also the occasion of another rather important happening in Skara - Djäknedagen.
Djäknedagen is a day of celebration for everybody that has graduated from Skara. The tradition of this celebration is more than 100 years old - but people have actually been educated here in Skara for more than 800 years!

I decided to include the Djäknedagen in my visit, since this year it was actually the 25 year (!) Jubilee of my graduation! A few of my fellow graduates were going to have dinner together in the evening. I haven't been able to join in ever before, so I looked forward to it a lot. It was time for my graduation cap to come out of its - original - bag:

The day started in the morning outside the current school building, which was inaugurated in 1871. This was where I went to school back in the day, and this was also where Nathan and I hosted our wedding dinner in the beautiful auditorium.
The two school choirs OP and DQ performed, and there was a short speech by the Chairwoman of the Skaradjäknarna association.

Here I am together with the Skaradjäkne statue in Krabbelund. If you join a graduation here in Skara to celebrate someone else; or participate in this particular day, you are supposed to wear your cap - although I was surprised to see not many did.

The day continued with a guided tour around Skara, of some of the places that have had a special meaning during the schooling and graduation of the 'djäknar'. Krabbelund was named after the teachers at the school, who in olden days were called 'krabbor'.

I dug out some old newspaper clippings saved from my graduation. It seems like I destined myself to end up here in the sandpit already 25 years ago, that's me there in the corner or the page, on a camel...

Yup, that camel was my mode of transportation during my graduation! First time I think in the school's history!