Cap and Gowns-Being A Senior By: McKayla

With graduation being just around the corner, it is closer than comfort, I already ordered my cap and gown. What is the meaning of the cap and gown anyway? It has been an old-aged tradition of graduates to wear graduation caps and gowns, but what does it symbolize?

The cap and gown symbolizes how special the day is in that only those who have persevered are given the right to wear them. As graduates walk down the aisle to their respective seats, the cap and gown adds to the feeling of pride that finally one chapter of their life has been successfully completed. That they can now advance to the next stage-thus, the term commencement, which means beginning rather than the end, are what many people attribute the graduation ceremony to. The gown was technically called an academic dress. The tradition of wearing an academic dress to graduation started rather as a necessity rather than as official wear to the rite of passage. The custom started during the 12th century when early universities were still beginning to be formed in Europe. At that time, no sufficient heating system was provided in such universities, and as such, students were forced to improvise to keep warm. The scholars, who were usually aspiring clerics or already clerics, started the practice of wearing a long robe with a hood for heat. Later that century, gowns were made the official dress of academics to prevent excessive apparel.