It’s a right of passage, a moment to celebrate accomplishments and hard work, and a celebration of inspiration. Debbie Lazaga takes a closer look at Graduation.
Ever wonder where all the iconic graduation regalia came from?
Graduates line up in alphabetical order, dress in weird gowns and hats just to pick up a certificate that says you just went through one of the most intense expansion of your mental capacity you’ll ever have… or at least the nifty leatherette holder for said certificate. But where does it all come from?
“We trace a lot of the history and especially the pomp and the circumstance and the academic regalia, really back to Europe. And so we’ve been doing things in the United States based on how things started many centuries ago, the late Middle Ages and the time of the Renaissance,” says Vice President for Enrollment and chief strategy officer at Concordia University of Wisconsin, Dr Michael Uden.
There are so many storied traditions involved with commencement ceremonies, like the gowns.
“There were practical reasons because we didn’t have central heating. The garb actually helped keep faculty and students warm as well,” explains Uden.”There were practical reasons because we didn’t have central heating. The garb actually helped keep faculty and students warm as well,” explains Uden.
And if you are lucky enough to see a commencement for people picking up a Masters or PHD, the amount of fabric in the gown actually means something.
Uden says, “Historically, the more fabric you had in your gown, the wealthier, or in this case, the more educated you were. And so the bachelor’s degree candidates have pointed closed sleeves. The master degree, a little more fabric. They have oblong sleeves. And then the doctoral candidates have bell-shaped sleeves, lots of fabric with three stripes of velvet and velvet panels on the front of their gown. Again, corresponding with their academic discipline or area of study.”
Ok, so check that off the list… something else for your Graduation Bingo Card… the mortar board.
Uden explains, “It’s reminiscent, quite literally, of the board used by masons to apply mortar, symbolizing then the skill of a master workman within the academic discipline. And in the 14th century, European universities used tassels to differentiate different levels of academic achievement. But what’s kind of an American piece of this is the movement of the tassel from the right to the left after the conferral of a degree.”
And now, they’re a customary decoration for your rear-view mirror in your car.
Check! How about the mace? Yeah… AN ACTUAL MACE!
“That’s often borne by the chief faculty marshal. And it really represents the academic integrity and intensity that that ceremony is supposed to signify,” says Uden.
Faculty Marshal for Graduations is one of Dr Uden’s other jobs.
There is plenty of symbolism at your average graduation ceremony, like the customary song that seems to go with every commencement ceremony “Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches, Op. 39” written by Sir Edward Elger in 1901.
Diplomas, guest speakers sashes and cords all come together to create quite the Bingo game for your commencement enjoyment.
Oh and don’t forget the ever-popular THROWING OF THE CAPS. You know, where we celebrate how smart we all are, by throwing sharp pointy objects into the air.
“It originated at the U. S. Naval Academy in 1912. In that case, those participants had spent two years as midshipmen before becoming full-fledged officers and their new rank required a new hat. So their old hat, could be, quite literally, disposable. And they tossed it in the air as kind of a celebration in a way to get out with the old and look out to the new, and it quickly because something that many other commencements started to utilize and graduates patterned themselves after their naval counterparts. When it happens spontaneously, and in the exuberance of the moment, it’s really fun to witness, ” says Uden.
So with all the regalia, customs, and time-honored traditions, it’s all just a part of simply this… we wish all graduates a hearty congratulations for your accomplishments… now get out there and make a difference!
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