You call them graduation regalia, academic gowns or anything you
like; but
| graduation stoles |
are the
heart of any graduation ceremony. It won’t be an overstatement if someone says
that a graduation ceremony won’t take place without a graduation cap and gown. This
is the significance of the attire. In our society, every field has certain
dress code that we need to follow. Take any example around you. A policeman
wears his uniform when on duty. Doctors and nurses have their special apparels
when they are working in the hospitals. People have to wear formal outfits in
their offices. Even on the wedding day, brides wear specially designed wedding
gowns. If you notice, all these apparels and outfits carry certain norms
regarding style, color and size. Similarly, graduation gowns to have certain rules.
The root of these rules and norms lies in the history of the
gowns. Each element of clothing, including the cap and gown, has its own
significance and can vary dramatically depending on the degree being conferred.
European universities often create their own guidelines concerning academic
dress. Graduation regalia evolved from the medieval church cloak and hood
monastery. Caps and gowns have their origins in medieval Europe. Students
attending universities were subject to church law and therefore were expected
to conform to the same dress code as members of the clergy: a long cloak or
tunic and a hood. Oxford and Cambridge are credited as the first European
universities to mandate specific requirements for regalia at university
functions. Universities in the United States standardized the color code for
students in the late 19th century.
The regalia consist of a gown,
| diploma holders |
. The mortarboard is the most common type of graduation
cap. Tams, short for Tam O'Shanters, are
worn by recipients of doctoral degrees at some institutions. The most common
cap worn in academic dress is the mortar board, also known as the Oxford cap.
The name "mortar board" comes from its similarity in appearance to
the mason's tool of the same name. The mortar board is always black and made of
a material matching the gown. Tassels are attached to the middle of the cap and
generally correspond to the subject of study.
Gowns are made from a variety of materials but are almost always
black. They differ in cut and the manner worn depending on the degree
conferred. Gowns for bachelor's degrees are untrimmed and have pointed sleeves.
Gowns worn by master's students are also untrimmed, but the sleeves are
square-cut in the rear and have an arc cut away in the front. Doctoral robes
are faced with black velvet in the front and with colored velvet along the
sleeves. The color of these velvet bars indicates the discipline in which the
person has trained.
