By Madi Rohm
Graduation ceremonies in Europe are quite different from those in the U.S. Whereas we have a celebration separated day by day from major to school to class, the University of Urbino does something of a different sort. When each individual senior is done with their very last final, the graduates’ friends and family come together to celebrate them specifically.
The friends of said graduate will dress them up in a costume specific to the person, relating to their humor or overall persona. The costume is picked for the graduate as a bridesmaid takes care of some of the wedding planning, in hopes to relieve any stress off of the graduate. It is their day.
Some graduates’ costumes are more outlandish than others, with one even wanting his friends and family who celebrated him to sign his cape. Symbolizing that his achievement couldn’t have been completed without the help from his community.
Though the costume is only a part of this momentous day. Each graduate is dressed to the nines in some of their finest clothes because on the last day of their finals each graduate has to present their thesis in front of their professors, with friends and family allowed to sit in to listen to the graduates oral presentation on what they have been studying the last 4-5 years.
The graduate is adorned in a handmade flower crown called the ‘Corona Triumphalis’. It is Uniquely made specifically for that person, unlike the mass produced cap and gowns bought in bulk by American universities and public highschools. The crown represents the well rounded qualities achieved by the individual after graduating from university.
Though certain customs and traditions may be different from European graduations and American ones, the ways of celebration are quite similar. Food and drink are shared amongst the graduates’ large party and wine is shared to toast to good fortune for the graduates in their next step out into the real world.
