Gradutaion celebrations in your countrey?

[faith]

Well, a while ago my family made me realize that I have to start preparations for my high school (well here in Finland it's actually called upper secondary school) graduation (on June 4th) immediatly.

So thats why I want to ask how u selebarte this kind of graduation in your countries. ???

Here in Finland the celebration goes like this: In the morning we get our hats/caps whatever they might be called in English at the school, and then we go home and have a party for relatives and friends (here all the preparations are needed) and in the evening the graduates go partying with their own friends...

How is it in your countrey?

[faith]

here is (hopefully) a picture of those "caps":

<A HREF="http://www.masicompany.com/fredrikson/fredima/ylakit/suomruot.jpg"></A>

[faith]

woops, the wrong code. new try:

<img src="http://www.masicompany.com/fredrikson/fredima/ylakit/suomruot.jpg">

[imthefoolonthehill]

we have a big ceremony, where the people dress in caps and gowns, afterwards, we are going ot have a BBQ at our house with all of my extended family.

That night, some of the graduates go out to the desert and skeet shoot with our textbooks. Then, we burn them.

Then, the graduates go on a road trip.

[Molko]

Well, in Australia there's what is called a muck-up day. Basically all the graduating students come back to the school and trash it, like throw eggs on the walls etc etc.

[faith]

I've heard about trashing the school... Sounds like fun... A girl who was exchange student in Oregon, USA told me about it. Do they do that all over US too?

[Bandini]

In England we dress in cap and gown, then go to get our certificates from a minion of the Chancellor. Those who get a first get to shake his hand! Then everybody stands for photos, throws caps in air etc and then goes to get drunk.

[papayahed]

If I remember correctly, we got our caps and gowns had a graduation ceremony where the principle handed out the diplomas, that night the graduates hung out together and drank (at least that's what my friends did) then over the next month or so most graduates had graduation parties with family and friends (mostly family).

[kilted exile]

In Scotland graduations are only really ever celebrated when you complete a University degree (traditional mortar board, black gown & lapel of the colour of the faculty you are graduating from). Since moving to Canada I have noticed that nearly all forms of graduation seem to be celebrated here (is it really neccessary to celebrate Kindergarten graduations?).

Anyway, I have never been to a graduation, however I did attend my school's leaver's dance. This was amusing because, along with the rest of the guys in my year, I showed up in my kilt (about 100 of us in total, walking through the centre of Glasgow in our kilts) The girls did not know we were planning this and burst out laughing when they saw us charge round the corner (think braveheart)

[amuse]

do most of you guys in scotland have kilts? were they bought for graduation or much earlier for special ceremonies?

in california - well, sonoma county, northern california - they have a thing called "project graduation." almost everyone stays overnight with a kazillion games - miniature golf, karaoke, etc. and pizza almost to the ceiling with rotating parental chaperones. none of the students leave until morning but everyone has a grand time and no one in the building dies that night as a result of drunk drivers.

[kilted exile]

do most of you guys in scotland have kilts? were they bought for graduation or much earlier for special ceremonies?

A lot of people in the highlands own a kilt, not many people in Glasgow. Most people rented them for graduation. However, I had one I bought to wear to someone's wedding.

[crisaor]

Graduation from high school is pretty normal here in Argentina. There's a formal meeting in which all students are presented with their diplomas, along with some other stuff that entertains and completes the ceremony. Afterwards, the usual thing is to go out and get drunk/bent/etc., although that's not the official one.
Graduation from university is another thing. After you pass the last subject, a small army of friends and relatives await for you at the entrance ready to throw eggs and mayonaise to your direction. As you might guess, I won't be telling them when I reach that situation. ;)

[Molko]

Oh and also, there's a thing here in Australia called Schoolies - basically all the graduating students go to the Gold Cost for one week and 'hook-up' with each other and get totally smashed. Not my scene though...

[Bandini]

I was talking University graduation BTW.

[ajoe]

Mine took place in the afternoon. We went to the gym, sat in one section while proud parents and relatives who didn't really care but were forced to come anyway sat in the rest of the sections. Someone walked to the stage and gave a speech, then some performances (dancing, singing, poem-reading) by non-graduating students wearing the national costume (all these were done now instead of later because otherwise people wouldn't want to watch them), and finally the principal showed up on the stage. He called our names, handed us the fake diploma and stuff, and we stood there grinning while people took our pictures as the national song was playing, and then a couple students (I guess in the U.S. they would be "valedictorians") gave some speeches, and then we officially graduated.

Afterward we ate cakes, then we went outside to fly the balloons (the balloons symbolized the graduating students, and flying symbolized "new life") and then we ate cakes and went home.

[elysium]

I'm assuming that the actual graduation ceremony is pretty much the same all over the US. In the village where I lived before, the band would play that song...I forget what it's called...and then the graduates would walk down the aisle of the gym in twos and be seated on folding chairs on a stage. A lot of school officials would talk, usually very boring, pompous, long-winded speeches and then the valedictorian and salutorian each give a speech. After that they read off the accomplishments of everyone receiving high honors, and then call the name of each student alphabetically and hand them their diploma. It's over after that. I'm not sure exactly what everyone else does at this point, but where I live each graduate usually has a party some time during the subsequent months. The village I come from is rural and pretty small, so generally everyone goes to each student's party, which is normally at their home or a reception hall. They give gifts, which is usually money in an envelope. That's pretty much it. I haven't graduated yet, nor have I gone to a graduation ceremony at the school I attend (it's a boarding school), so I'm not sure how it's done here. I guess I should find out, lol.

Anyway, I have a few friends who live in England, and one thing I've always wondered: do you have a graduation before you enter 6th form college and before university, or just uni?

[Koa]

There is no high school graduation ceremony here... Of course some people might organise a party or something, but there is nothing official that everybody does.
My personal celebration in the afternoon after I did my final exam was: sitting at my table, taking out all the maths notebooks I could find, tear every page in small pieces and throwing them in the recycle paper bin. Absolutely cathartic :D

For graduation from Uni, the tradition is: your friends prepare a paper, like a poster, where they write funny/embarassing things about you, and often a drawing of you, and this poster gets stuck on the walls of the Uni and sometimes also on the surroundign buildings. Then after you go to your final thingy, they make some jokes: usually the graduated person is forced to wear something stupid (I've seen people dressed as chickens for example) and/or sometimes stripped off to underwear (I know of people wearing a bathing suit to prevent that) and if it's summer that might involve water games... (though i know of people having had to go aorund in underwear in November). Often the graduated has to read the abovementioned poster out loud while drinking wine or cheap champagne, and if he/she reads wrong has to read more... Everythign is mostly based on the fantasy of the poor graduated's friends anyway, the only costant are the jokes and usually the paper. Oh, and often the graduated is taken aorund the city that way, and people sing a silly song basically saying 'you graduated, f**k off''.
However, now the university degrees has been reformed to be 3 years long (before it was 4 or 5) and easier than before, so a lot of people who conclude a 3-year degree don't make all that fuss, they are just sung that little song and organise a party (at least this was the case with the only graduation I've seen, but many people, including me, who are about to finish the 3 years, are not planning to have the big ceremony I described above, cos it doesnt feel worth it as it was before. I know a girl who's going to finish the 4-year course and as it took her like 8 years, it's going to be an awfully big ceremony).

[Pensive]

Most of the time people distribute sweets among relatives, friends and poors and in some cases, the parents of student or the student him/herself gives a party to her/his relatives and friends. :D

[EAP]

Pensive,

Distributing mithai is more of a good result-in-finals phenomenon. I have never heard of mithai being distributed at High School graduation; the matriculation results don't arrive till July/August, well after the end of the academic year.

Graduation at many private institutions is celeberated by a school organized class party thrown a couple of weeks before the end of the year followed by whatever informal plans the students might have for the subsequent evening/night.

Generally though, it differs considerably from place to place. Military academies, boarding schools and other high profile institutions have their own long standing traditions. Most government schools are too poor to afford a formal celebration anyway.