diff --git a/lib/jekyll/document.rb b/lib/jekyll/document.rb
index 9b0e9c9f2..3840375c1 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll/document.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll/document.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# encoding: UTF-8
+
 module Jekyll
   class Document
     include Comparable
@@ -82,7 +84,7 @@ module Jekyll
     end
 
     # Determine whether the document has a YAML header.
-    # 
+    #
     # Returns true if the file starts with three dashes
     def has_yaml_header?
       @has_yaml_header unless @has_yaml_header.nil?
@@ -198,7 +200,7 @@ module Jekyll
           unless defaults.empty?
             @data = defaults
           end
-          @content = File.open(path, "rb") { |f| f.read }
+          @content = File.open(path, "rb", merged_file_read_opts(opts)) { |f| f.read }
           if content =~ /\A(---\s*\n.*?\n?)^(---\s*$\n?)/m
             @content = $POSTMATCH
             data_file = SafeYAML.load($1)
diff --git a/lib/jekyll/renderer.rb b/lib/jekyll/renderer.rb
index 25a1552c5..f5d30133b 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll/renderer.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll/renderer.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# encoding: UTF-8
+
 module Jekyll
   class Renderer
 
diff --git a/lib/jekyll/site.rb b/lib/jekyll/site.rb
index 87b84f0e2..a656b0882 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll/site.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll/site.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# encoding: UTF-8
+
 module Jekyll
   class Site
     attr_accessor :config, :layouts, :posts, :pages, :static_files,
diff --git a/lib/jekyll/tags/include.rb b/lib/jekyll/tags/include.rb
index 97e5c7541..f90f8e8a6 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll/tags/include.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll/tags/include.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# encoding: UTF-8
+
 module Jekyll
   module Tags
     class IncludeTagError < StandardError