Graduation

March 7, 2008

If I had been a foreigner watching an American graduation ceremony, I wonder how it would look to me? To see the students, who chose their own styles the entire year, suddenly wear archaic robes, funny-looking hats, and wreaths of flowers across their neck. To see them walk in wobbly lines to Pomp and Circumstance, to see them receive their diplomas, to see them take out the beach balls as the speeches commenced. What would I think of a group of people, so clearly unused to ceremony, trying to execute a set of rigid graduation rituals?

The reason, of course, that I’m bringing it up, is because I saw the graduation ceremony for Kogyo High School last Monday. As I sat down in the auditorium to watch, I had no preconception of what to expect.

On the stage there was a podium and a huge, beautiful vase of flowers. The people were arranged in the same seating arrangement I had seen for Culture Day, with the 1st and 2nd year students in the center, the teachers to the sides, the guests and parents to the back. The chairs for the seniors, in the front, facing the stage, were as of yet empty.

Then music began to play. It sounded like a classical Western piece, and it was pretty and unobtrusive and full of violins. The seniors walked in from the back, in straight, smooth lines. They had practiced the week before. They’d also practiced walking during Sports Day and practiced lining up for every Monday morning assembly. When the seniors walked past their parents, there was polite applause. The seniors wore a flower pinned to their usual uniform.

After the national anthem, the principle called the student’s name in their row and one by one the students stood. Then a representative from each class walked up to the stage. The principle made a short speech. The representative took all the diplomas for that row from the principle and bowed to his or her classmates. They did this for each row.

Then there were several speeches and the school anthem was sung. The seniors walked out in their straight, even lines and this time the applause was a little more enthusiastic.

The ceremony was…unsurprising. It was another formal ritual in a place where I had already seen Orientation ceremonies, Sports Day ceremonies, Culture Festival ceremonies, drinking party protocol, and strict morning assemblies. I had never seen the graduation ceremony before, but I had seen variations of it hundred times.