The Traditions of Graduation: Where Did They Originate?

Graduation is a time of reflection and change; it is a ceremony that marks one stage of a person's life to another. The tradition of graduation dates back to the 12th century. Why do we do certain things at graduation, such as moving the tassel on the mortarboard from the right to the left after receiving the diploma? To answer that question, I delved into the history of the ceremony itself, the mortarboard, the gown, Baccalaureate, the diploma, and other important aspects of graduation.

The beginning of the "Rite Passage" begins with the Baccalaureate ceremony. The first Baccalaureate ceremony was held in 1432. It originated at Oxford University, and "at that time each student required to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic applications." The service consists of an interfaith sermon that celebrates the completion of students' high school career. The sermon does not have to be conducted by a religious person; the dean or principal of the school, a well-respected or famous guest, or the Valedictorian of the graduating class sometimes carries out the ceremony.

Some schools include the Baccalaureate ceremony with the actual graduation ceremony, while others celebrate the two in separate events altogether. This year, Newnan High School celebrates Baccalaureate the Sunday before graduation on May 18 at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Newnan.

Not all commencement ceremonies are alike; they usually begin with speeches from faculty or special speakers, which sometimes includes the Valedictorian and the Salutatorian. Following the speeches, the graduates names are called one by one, and sometimes "Pomp and Circumstance" is played. The song "Pomp and Circumstance" was composed by Sir Edward Elgar and was first performed on October 19, 1901 in Liverpool, England. Most of the graduation traditions stem from English schools and universities; English schools used the song so often that it became the standard march for graduation.

The mortarboard, sometimes called the "cap" or "hood" dates back to Celtic groups. During the time of the Druid priests, capes and hoods were worn to symbolize the superiority and higher intelligence of the priests. The cap we know today is believed to have been developed around the 16th century. It is used to identify the student's academic institution and degree. The graduation cap is worn horizontally and has a tassel attached. Tassels are worn on the right and then flipped to the left either after receiving the diploma, walking off stage or collectively as a class after the commencement of the ceremony.

"During the 12th and 13th centuries the academic dress for graduation was born." Prior to the 1950s, the color of the graduation was gray. That all changed sometime in the 1950s, at the request of students across the nation, when the cap and gowns began to represent school colors.

The first diplomas were made of sheepskin. Until one hundred years ago, the diplomas were hand-written on the paper-thin sheepskin, rolled, and tied with a ribbon. Animal skin was used because, at the time, papermaking was difficult. When paper-making techniques improved, the diploma was printed on parchment. Today most diplomas are handed out in leather binders. The change in trend was due to rolled-up diplomas being more difficult to frame.

I hope that now you have learned a little bit more about graduation traditions and are prepared for the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2008!

--Whitney Black, Editor-in-Chief