Ceremonial Clothing in Western Cultures - Graduation

Graduation

Western universities took shape during the Middle Ages and still retain many vestiges of medieval custom. One of those vestiges is scholarly attire: gowns, caps, and hoods, as worn hundreds of years ago. Once worn for all lectures and other public occasions, the cap and gown is now usually reserved for university graduation ceremonies.

Ordinary bachelors, or holders of B.A., B.Sc., etc. degrees, wear a black gown over their ordinary clothes and a cap called a mortarboard, consisting of a stiff square panel sewn onto a skull-cap and a hood. Higher degrees call for scarlet or coloured gowns.

In the 19th century in the United States, the bachelor's gown and mortarboard were annexed by the new institution of the high school. Today, even kindergartners may graduate using miniature caps and gowns.