Denmark
In Denmark, the student caps (studenterhue) are the last remains of the old school uniform of the University of Copenhagen. They came in two colours: black for the winter uniform and white for the summer uniform. The caps are worn by students who have completed an upper secondary level education. The student cap is made of linen with a black brim and is supplied with a band and a cockade with a Dannebrog cross or other badge. The design varies after which exam it represents.
When this school uniform vanished in the late 19th century, the two caps came to denote two different kinds of studentereksamen: the classical-linguistic exam with the black student’s cap and the white for the modern language + mathematical exams. Both with a Bordeaux-coloured band.
When the student cap came out, it was only connected to studentereksamen (STX) which at that time was the only upper secondary level education there was, and was connected to a very high status, because very few people graduated. From the 1970s three other upper secondary level educations were made. Higher Preparatory Examination (HF), Higher Commercial Examination Programme (HHX), and Higher Technical Examination Programme (HTX). From about 1990 there has also been student caps for other educations, including 10th grade and SOSU. More variants of the caps are still being developed with special coloured cords and badges, because more educations want their own cap.
Traditions
There is a long list of traditions with the Danish student cap. They have, of course, been changed and will vary from place to place. Here are a few:
- It is bad luck to try on a student's cap before completion of the last exam.
- It’s tradition to write the grade given in the last exam in the middle of lining of the student's cap.
- Classmates and friends write in the lining.
- The student with the biggest and/or the smallest head has to give beer to the whole class.
- The student cap can be marked with notches, cuts and so on, in connection with the "rules" of the student cap.
- There is taunt songs connected to the rivalry between the different educations, for example between Gymnasium and HF: “There is only one cap and it’s red – and if it’s blue it’s way too easy to get” or HTX to STX "Hvis den er rød, er den ikke mere værd end brød" (translation: "If it's red, it's not worth more than bread".
Upper secondary level educations with caps
| Education | Duration | Cord | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studentereksamen (stx) STX-student (regular student) |
3 years | Bordeaux | Dannebrog cross |
| Higher Preaparatory Examination (HF) HF-student |
2 years | Light blue | Dannebrog cross |
| Higher Commercial Examination Programme (HHX/HH) HHX-student |
3 years | Blue | Mercury stick |
| Higher Technical Examination Programme (HTX) HTX-student (technical student) |
3 years | Dark blue | “HTX” |
| International baccalaureate (IB) IB-student (international student) |
2 years | Bordeaux with international flags | Dannebrog cross |
| STX + 1-year HHX | 3 years + 1 year | Bordeaux (top) and blue (bottom) | Mercury stick |
| HF + 1-year HHX | 2 years + 1 year | Light blue (top) and blue (bottom) | Mercury stick |
| HTX plus 1-year HHX | 3 years + 1 year | Dark blue (top) and blue (bottom) | Mercury stick |
Other educations with caps
- for folkeskole and career aimed educations
| Education | Duration | Cord | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th grade (FS10) | 1 year | Green | Dannebrog cross |
| Higher Commercial Examination Programme basic studies |
2 out of 4 years | Dark purple | Mercury stick |
| Farming schools Educated farmer |
3½ years | Green | Dannebrog cross |
| PGU | 1 year and 7½ months | Orange | Dannebrog cross |
| SOSU-helper | 1 year and 2 months | Light purple | Dannebrog cross |
| SOSU-assistant | 2 years and 10 months | Bordeaux (top) and blue (bottom) | Dannebrog cross |
| Hairdresser | 4 years | Pink | Dannebrog cross |
| HTX plus 1-year HHX | 4 years | Yellow | Dannebrog cross |
The cross isn’t a Christian badge, but the caps can have other badges for example:
- Star of David for Jews
- Crescent moon for Muslims
- Maple leaf for atheists and other religious persuasions
- A red sun on a white background, for Greenlanders
Read more about this topic: Student Cap