Some History of Caps and Gowns
When you take part in a high school graduation or preschool diplomas ceremony, you are engaging in traditional behavior that dates back to the earliest Christian universities founded in Medieval times.
Muslims in the Middle East founded the first universities during the dark ages. By the 12th and 13th centuries universities were also being founded in European countries such as France, Italy, England and Germany.
The wearing of robes or academic regalia the ancestors of cap and gow ns for high school graduation started at the University of Coimbra in Portugal in 1321. These gowns were based on those worn by the clergy at the time.
Some people think the academic regalia maybe based on the cloaks worn by the ancient Druids, an order of pagan Celtic priests wiped out by the Romans in the First Century AD. A more likely explanation is that the robes were based on those worn by Medieval Christian clergy.
The first graduation ceremony for students receiving bachelor’s degrees was held at Oxford University in England in 1432. This ceremony became the basis for the graduation commencements held at American and British universities and the ceremonies held at high schools.
Although the origins of the graduation ceremony are very old some of the traditions associated with it are quite recent in origin. The song “Pomp and Circumstances,” for example was first performed in Liverpool, England, in 1901.
The idea of such a ceremony for high school students appeared in the 19th century in the United States and Canada. The idea was to distinguish students at the new fangled high schools from students in more traditional schools.
High school graduation became a very important community tradition throughout Canada and the US during the 20th Century. It became a very important rite of passage in small towns because it was understood that many of the students would leave town after graduation.
The graduation ceremony was often a very somber event during World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War and the Vietnam because many of the men present were leaving directly for military service. It was understood that some of these boys would not be coming back from the war.
Graduation took on a much greater importance after World War II as college attendance exploded. More and more students were going onto college, so graduation took on an importance as a stepping-stone to the next stage of life.
This importance was heightened by the announcement of academic honors such as valedictorian and scholarships to the students. The graduation ceremony became a symbol of academic success.
During the turmoil and upheavals of the 1960s there were moves to abolish graduation because it was a stifling tradition. At this time some students began a tradition of revolt at graduation. This usually involved wearing no clothes or informal clothes under the robes or putting messages on the pasteboards.