With this ring I thee wed

A few years ago I posted about the Iron Ring. The Iron Ring is a ring worn on the pinkie of the working hand by all engineers in Canada since 1922. The reason for wearing it on the pinkie, is that as the engineer is doing his/her calculations, the ring will touch table making a sound, which reminds the engineer to check and re-check their work.

The tradition started as a result of the collapse of the Quebec Bridge. It is said that the first batch of Iron Rings was made from steel from the collapsed bridge.

Just today I received the following email about the Iron Ring Ceremony.

If you are graduating from an accredited Bachelor of Applied Science program or Bachelor of Software Engineering program at the University of Waterloo, you are invited to participate in The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer or, as it is otherwise referred to, The Iron Ring Ceremony. The actual Ceremony, wherein you will obligate yourself to the profession of engineering, will take place on February 15, 2008...

The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer is a tradition that was established in 1922, and since then over 200,000 engineering graduates from coast to coast have participated. Here, at the University of Waterloo ... approximately 22,000 graduates have accepted the ceremony, the ring and the associated obligation. The Wardens of Camp 15 invite you to participate in the Ceremony wherein you will be “wedded to cold iron”.

After the ceremony a big party takes place, where the graduating class get a good excuse to get drunk before reading week. The whole day feels like some sort of cult meet-up, only ringed engineers are allowed to attend the festivities, which translates to a big party with lots of guys. Yikes!