Sheila Hickman: The graduation ceremony steeped in history, tradition
Graduation ceremonies are taking place all over the country during May and June.
Great universities with thousands of graduates and small high schools with fewer than one hundred graduates share similar traditions which were established centuries ago.
Glad parents and other family members of high school seniors gather to celebrate and sometimes to breathe a sigh of relief that 13 years, or perhaps more in some cases, have passed and their child has marked one of life’s great milestones.
In the university graduations many years have also passed as students obtain various professional degrees, some requiring additional years of study. Remember that these convocations are called commencements because these young people are about to embark on the next step in their lives.
Where did our graduation traditions originate? According to history the first European universities held these ceremonies in the twelfth century.
The universitas was a guild of masters with licenses to teach. The first degree was a Bachelor’s followed by the Master’s, hence the degrees B.S. and M. A. come from that tradition.
The words degree and graduate come from the Latin gradus meaning step.
Gowns and tossing caps
The gowns worn today in both high school and university graduations are adapted from the daily dress of the university staff and inspired by clerical medieval dress.
One purpose of the gowns was to keep those scholars warm in drafty, unheated buildings. Another reason for wearing the gowns was to set the students apart from the faculty. Also clothing was costly and the uniformity provided by the gowns was economical. Today some prestigious universities have seniors wear their gowns to distinguish them from underclassmen.
By the time of Henry VIII in the 1500s robes were black, but by the 1800s a system of colors evolved to designate the degree received. For example, a medical degree is denoted by a green velvet edge. The university graduates with education degrees have stoles trimmed in light blue, while law students wear purple. The stoles’ colors affiliated with each school within the university range from white to dark blue and music majors wear pink.
The graduation cap, often called a mortarboard, descended from the upright cap with three or four peaks worn by Roman Catholic clergy. In the fourteenth century artists and students wore the cap to reflect their intelligence and superiority. The name mortarboard comes from the board used by brick layers. Originally only those who had degrees could wear the cap.
Attached to the cap is a tassel often with numbers attached denoting the year. Some schools practice the moving of the tassel from the right to the left side to signal the receiving of the diploma. Many universities allow graduating students to decorate their caps. The tradition of tossing the caps came from the Naval Academy.
Presently both high schools and universities have gowns in various colors representing their alma mater. Also in both high and universities hoods, ribbons, sashes recognize those who have attained high achievements. In high school, the National Honor Society members wear a white stole over the gown and Beta Club members have a gold cord.
'Pomp and Circumstance'
No celebration would be complete without well-chosen music. Sir Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, written in 1901, also called “Land of Hope and Glory” is a tradition dating from the last century. Pomp is a show of magnificence, and circumstance refers to formal activities. The title comes from Shakespeare’s Othello. In 1902, lyrics were added for the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of England. In 1905, Yale awarded Elgar an honorary doctorate, and the melody was played in his honor. Immediately the piece became admired and has been played for processionals and recessionals through the decades.
The melody is so stirring, and the slow tempo encourages those in the processional to feel the significance of the occasion. Most people who have graduated or attended a graduation can recognize the first few notes. The feelings that this melody inspires can make one reflect on a graduation long ago.
The diploma
While all the accouterments of graduation are significant, the diploma is the most significant tradition. Long ago, a university diploma was called a sheepskin harkening to the time when diplomas were written on sheep skin, rolled carefully, and tied with a ribbon. About a century ago, diplomas were printed on parchment, and the sizes were standardized.
Earlier in Maury County, schools' paper diplomas were rolled and tied with ribbons in school colors as the sheep skins were. Now many graduates, especially high school students, receive a diploma cover, and the diploma signed by the schools’ administrators is given after the ceremony.
Maury County schools held their commencement ceremonies during May.
A highlight of Maury County seniors’ celebration is the Strive to Drive program sponsored by Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. On Saturday, May 21, each graduate who had perfect attendance, completed the FASA, applied for the Tennessee Promise and maintains an A/B honor roll position will have his or her name entered in a drawing for a 2022 Jeep Compass.
Anecdotes of the week: One young man several years ago turned a cartwheel on his way to get his diploma. He did not get it until the next day after apologizing to the principal. Another principal loved fishing, and several young men gave him a fishing fly when they shook hands.
Sheila Hickman is a product of the Maury County Schools. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from Lipscomb and a Master’s from Peabody Vanderbilt. She returned to teach English at Columbia Central High School, her alma mater.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Sheila Hickman: The graduation ceremony steeped in history, tradition
