Do you want to know what graduation traditions there are in the USA, Japan, Norway and other parts of the world? Adukar will tell you how graduation is celebrated in different countries.
American graduation
In the US, considerable sums are spent on graduation celebrations, as Americans consider graduation significant event. Both boys and girls dress smartly on this day. A limousine is rented, in which happy graduates go to the main event - the prom. It is customary to come in pairs: according to tradition, at the end of the evening the school principal chooses the king and queen of the ball.
After the official part, the celebration moves to restaurants and hotels, where graduates party until the morning. The party is held in a non-alcoholic format: drinking alcohol in America is legal from 21 years of age.
Americans are masters of creativity for prom 
If our girls come to last call in the uniform of the USSR, then young American women pick up another fashion trend and wear their mothers’, or even grandmothers’, dresses to prom. Ellie Johnson's spectacular outfit (right) is over 22 years old. And you won’t tell, right?
Graduation in German
Celebrating school graduation in Germany begins informally and even before final exams. At this time, students make friendly jokes on teachers, come to classes in funny costumes and play pranks in every possible way at school.
After the final exams, the official part of the graduation takes place: a gala dinner and a graduation party. The Germans celebrate the holiday in glamor and style. Families of graduates and grandparents are always present.
Graduation in Japanese
Graduation from school in Japan is celebrated modestly. The graduation ceremony takes place in a large assembly hall, and Japanese graduates come to it in their everyday school uniform. After receiving their certificates, they divide into small groups and continue the celebration in a cafe, or return home and celebrate graduation with their family.
Graduation in Chinese
There is an unusual tradition for the end of exams in China. To get rid of memories of difficult exams, Chinese schoolchildren throw everything related to their studies out of the windows: books, notebooks, pens, pencil cases.
Graduation in Polish
In Poland, the graduation party is held 100 days before the end of school, it is called Studniówka. A luxurious hall is chosen for the celebration, guys wear tuxedos and suits, girls wear elegant dresses and red garters. The ceremony begins with a polonaise - a ceremonial dance-procession - led by the director together with one of the graduates.
Graduation in Norwegian
Who knows, Norwegian graduates know how to have a blast! The graduation celebration begins on the night of May 1st and lasts 17 days until the Norwegian Constitution Day. At this time, graduates walk around the city in a special “uniform,” which usually includes a T-shirt and sweatshirt with the school emblem, a cap, and overalls, usually red. On it, classmates write different wishes to each other.
It is interesting that graduation celebrations in Norway are organized by the students themselves at their own expense; the school administration has nothing to do with these events.
Among Norwegian graduates, the tradition of renting or even buying a bus, decorating it in the style of street art, ordering a driver and driving around the city is gaining popularity.
Perhaps the Norwegian graduation is the most fun! What does your ideal graduation look like? Share your thoughts on our social networks.
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IN Lately There is a clear tendency for modern schoolchildren to refuse to celebrate their prom. Has he really become a relic of the past for them and means nothing? We will try to find the answer to this question, and also find out whether there are alternative options for the traditional organization of this event.
It is generally accepted that prom- This is a special event in the life of every student. This was the case under Soviet rule. Therefore, mothers, fathers, older brothers and sisters lyrically tell modern graduates about their farewell to school. For most of them, this was a real celebration, which they had been waiting for for many years and for which they had been carefully preparing for several months. Graduation marked not only farewell to school, but also the beginning of a new stage in life, independence...
But recently, there has been a clear trend of modern schoolchildren refusing to celebrate their prom. Has he really become a relic of the past for them and means nothing? We will try to find the answer to this question, and also find out whether there are alternative options for the traditional organization of this event.
Prom through the eyes of modern teenagers
On various forums, there are increasingly more messages from concerned parents who write that: “My child is finishing 11th grade and is preparing to enter a university. We all remember our school graduation day, farewell to school, teachers and childhood. This is a ritual. Therefore, I didn’t even have any doubts whether my child would want to celebrate his graduation or not. But then one day my son comes home and says that they consulted with the guys from the class and decided not to celebrate graduation. I am slightly shocked and confused, as is our class teacher, who urgently gathers parents for a meeting. You can guess the agenda without further ado.”
Psychologists explain this situation by the desire of adolescents to deny everything traditional and ordinary, as well as the desire to declare themselves and their independence. Modern schoolchildren are no longer the same as their parents and older brothers and sisters were. They live in another century - a century information technologies. Their interests and goals in life changed accordingly. Very often, emotions, lyrics, and spiritual qualities give way before determination and the desire to achieve high goals. At the same time, many quite consciously believe graduation celebration an outdated tradition that has long outlived its usefulness.
In this case, parents need to have a frank and heart-to-heart talk with the child, to find out what is in his soul. Quite often, a child argues for his refusal with reasons that allow him to find an alternative option. For example, sometimes reluctance to celebrate graduation is due to tense relationships in the class. In this case possible solution The problem will be inviting an outside party organizer (a specialist from an event organization agency), who will be able to offer an option that can unite all teenagers. Or perhaps children don’t need a pompous celebration, they just want to wander through the school corridors, sit in their classroom and have a fun chat with their classmates for the last time. In this situation, it is quite possible to get by with a formal part at school and a group trip, for example, to bowling.
Today, there is an opinion among schoolchildren that prom at school is boring and unfashionable: everyone will just eat, dance and go home. Even some parents believe that the significance of this holiday today is greatly exaggerated.
But the soul of the holiday is not in the assembly hall and restaurant, where graduates, their parents and teachers will gather, but in the special atmosphere of the event, positive emotions from communicating with friends, in the ritual farewell to school. In addition, holding the unofficial part of the graduation in a cafe or restaurant is far from the only option for holding the celebration. Let us note that even money plays a leading role in organizing a graduation party (although without it, nothing worthwhile can be organized). The main thing is the desire of graduates and their parents to organize the last meeting with the school in a beautiful and fun way.
Non-standard options for holding a prom
IN Soviet time there were not many opportunities for organizing original and memorable celebrations at school. And it was not customary at that time to stand out from total mass. Therefore, all proms took place according to a standard scenario: girls in ball gowns, boys in formal suits, a formal line-up, awarding certificates, presenting diplomas, a farewell waltz, dinner with dancing in the dining room, restaurant or cafe, and watching the sunrise on the embankment (or in the city center ).
Fortunately, in our time the situation has changed dramatically. Today there are practically no restrictions on organization celebrations at school(of course, within reason), and the abundance of shops and services open up unlimited possibilities for creating a bright and unusual holiday. We offer you several of the most popular alternative options for holding a prom among modern schoolchildren.
- The formal part of the prom on the ship + restaurant.
- A celebration in an ancient estate with dressing up, performances and competitions (for example, in Derzhavin’s mansion).
- Graduation in Hollywood style with awards presentation, photo session, including against the backdrop of a press wall (a special background wall, like at conferences), filming of a video about the class and graduation.
- A prom in the style of “Chicago” (the theme of Chicago of the 30s of the 20th century is played out) includes themed outfits. The concept of such holiday at school implies the division of celebrants into groups: parents, teachers - mafia, students - fighters against gangsters).
- Celebration in the “Hipsters” format (a variant of a stylish party).
- Celebration at the Russian Museum in the Benois Hall (the program includes dinner, entertainment and a boat trip).
- Country quest game (for example, on the topic of finding a secret message).
- Graduation in the format of the game "Mafia" (also includes a walk around the city in a beautiful retro car and a photo shoot).
- A holiday with an adventure theme in a country format. The entertainment program includes not only dancing and music, but also a visit to the shooting range, horseback riding, ATV riding, funny Games, relay races.
It is important to understand that everyone puts their own meaning into the concept of “prom” (it’s not for nothing that they say “How many people, so many opinions”). That's why organization of a non-standard graduation it is better to entrust it to special agencies that not only have the experience and material and technical base for high-quality preparation of the holiday, but also know how to find compromise options that can satisfy the requirements and wishes of everyone. Having an activist-entertainer among the parents will be an additional advantage, since he will not only be able to offer interesting ideas, but also talk about the characteristics of the class and the relationships between children.
But in any case, no matter how you decide to organize the graduation, magnificently or modestly, original or traditionally, the last evening at school, with classmates who have been around for 11 years or just with friends, will definitely leave special memories in the soul of every student.
Graduation evening is the very first serious holiday in the life of any person, then there will be graduation at the university, wedding, birth of a child, etc. But school graduation is a special feeling and we will all remember it for the rest of our lives.
Therefore, holding and organizing a graduation party is a rather difficult task for teachers. Composing an interesting script is not easy. We will help you solve this problem and offer you a classic scenario for the formal part of the prom, we hope that it will help you.
Prom script
1st presenter.
Dear Colleagues! Dear guests! Today is another graduation at our school. This event is joyful and sad at the same time. Joyful because a new generation of graduates is entering independent life, and sad because today graduates are saying goodbye to school.
2nd presenter
It would seem one and the same
What day, what year.
But again, as in my youth, it worries
Another day is coming!
And I can’t contain my excitement in the morning,
It’s as if in these everyday life you
You are waiting for an opening, and a revelation,
And dreams come true.
1st presenter
Any lesson, any meeting
More valuable than all the treasures on earth,
After all, every school moment is marked
Its uniqueness.
2nd presenter.
School! How much is connected with her! Childhood is behind us, there are many roads ahead, the choice of what you love. How exciting is the first feeling of adulthood and independence! The exams are left behind, and with them the years of carefree childhood. And ahead... There is a great life ahead, everything you dreamed of, everything unknown, exciting.
1st presenter.
School! She met you for 11 years, and now the time has come to part, the last evening within her walls is graduation!
Song performed:
On the first fine day of September
You timidly entered the school arches.
The first teacher and the first lesson -
This is how the school years begin.
Wonderful school years -
With a book, with friendship, with a song.
How fast they fly
You can't turn them back!
Will they fly by without a trace?
No, no one will ever forget
School years.
1st presenter.
Today, from noon until evening, the birds sang somehow especially. The sun, calm and peaceful, slowly descended across the blue and somehow surprisingly wide sky. This memorable quiet summer evening as if escorting you, entering adulthood, to a clear and calm destiny. How I want this to come true! Good luck, happiness, love, dear graduates!
The floor is given to the school director...
The school principal speaks.
2nd presenter
Here's your year of study behind you.
And the first rise, and the first fall...
And this evening we wanted
Do you remember every moment?
While you and the class are still nearby...
And there is a long difficult road ahead.
But there is an opportunity with a kind, gentle look
Ask for forgiveness... for something!
1st presenter
Let this evening before you again
The moments of the first meeting flash by,
And the first friend, and the first love...
Everything is done on this farewell evening.
2nd presenter.
Much is already in the past for you: the last school bell, and a lucky ticket to final exams. A lot is remembered in these moments. When you are 17, you can safely say: for 11 years school was your life. Your first teacher led you by the hand into the world of knowledge. Will you ever forget her wise smile and kind hands?
The floor is given to congratulate the first teacher.
Graduate (addressing the first teacher) ... (name, patronymic),
Poems for the first teacher:
Do you recognize us? Look,
Your first-graders are standing here!
We wore big backpacks,
Rulers, pens and notebooks.
We remember you with love,
So dear, so familiar,
You were like a mother to us all,
And we felt at home with you.
Thank you, bow to the ground
Please accept from all graduates
And just as carefully, lovingly
Teach your students.
We will remember you like this
And we can’t change our memory,
Graduates are now before you
They want to bend their knees.
1st presenter.
And now some statistics. Over the years of study, graduates received 3,333 “twos,” 3,331 “ten,” 156 diplomas, 27 broken glasses, won 187 awards at Olympiads and sports competitions... But the amount of effort expended by teachers, the amount of kindness and patience cannot be counted !
2nd presenter.
Dear graduates! For 11 years, teachers put grades in your diaries. Today we give you the opportunity to evaluate your knowledge of your favorite subjects yourself (invites you to take cardboard numbers out of a bag without looking).
Happy holiday, dear graduates! May all the grades you still receive in life be excellent!
1st presenter.
And now a little history. The creative activity of the heroes of today's celebration began in... the year with understanding the basics of reading, counting, and spelling. By the end of the year, the basics were understood, as evidenced by the handwritten inscription on the primer by one of the then first-graders: “Vovka is a fool.” It was not possible to find out who this mysterious Vovka is.
2nd presenter.
Having mastered the rules of grammar, future geniuses enthusiastically began to apply them. The school carefully preserves a table with a rock... excuse me, a tabletop drawing and an unforgettable inscription: “Sashka + Lenka = Love.” Who this Love was remains unknown.
1st presenter.
Found at excavations a large number of used chewing gum, most of it on teachers' clothes. Many boots have been found that ran away from their owners, and a lot of invisible hats that were never found by their parents. Later, unidentified flying objects began to appear: balls, bricks, etc. The young geniuses successfully passed on their skills and abilities to the next generations of schoolchildren.
2nd presenter.
11 “A”, 11 “B”... What do these numbers and letters mean to you sitting here? I'm sure a lot. Because a school class is not just a group of students, it is a spiritual brotherhood of people who have become family, for whom someone’s misfortune becomes common, but also joy is the same for everyone. Life is so amazing: today they are still nearby - school graduates, they are still classmates; tomorrow their paths will diverge. But today’s joy, which is one for all, will be remembered for a long time.
1st presenter.
11 "A"! We are now ready to rejoice for you, unique 11 “A”. But first you should tell us a little about yourself. And you will do this with applause. I will name epithets, and you, if they correspond to the characteristics of your class, will clap. So your class is:
intellectual,
groovy,
cool,
hardworking,
modest.
Well, you have wonderful class! There is a song for you.
A song is playing.
2nd presenter.
11 "B"! And now grade 11 “B” will tell you a little about themselves. This is class
economic,
resourceful,
organized,
very modest,
worthy of all praise.
Wonderful 11 “B”, a song sounds for you.
A song is playing.
1st presenter. You learned that friendship is more valuable than anything else when you quarreled with your desk neighbor... You used to copy a classmate’s homework, and as you grew up, you looked to him for advice when bad things happened in life. The first book you read is also a memory from your school years.
Today you say goodbye to school, but you will remember your dear school years, your home school, your home teachers, dear to everyone’s heart.
Everything was there: roads and adversities,
And the light of the sun, and the light of your beloved eyes...
I look back on the past years
And I remember you with a warm feeling...
I took you as an example and sought advice.
The reward was the look of your living eyes,
You gave me so much warmth and light,
That's enough to warm ten people.
You give your life to great work,
You awaken a dream in children's souls.
Thank you for living
Here's to the beauty of your deeds and thoughts!
2nd presenter.
The floor is given to the class teachers.
Class teachers speak.
Graduate
I'll never be a schoolgirl again.
Don't rush to class.
A mischievous and sad bell
My last bell rang.
It rang, but there was confusion in my soul,
The girls are in tears. Why?
How we have been waiting for this moment,
We've been preparing for it for so many years!
So many years! From such first-graders
We grew and gained strength.
And just as much older today
Those who taught us good became!
The strands are dusted with gray hair,
A new wrinkle has appeared...
Smart, beautiful, good,
My strict teachers!
I give you all the spring flowers
All the love that is in my heart.
In life until the last moment
I owe you an unpaid debt.
It's hard to talk about how we feel when we say goodbye to school. I would like to find kind words for everyone.
Graduates congratulate their parents.
Congratulations and words of gratitude for parents at graduation
Graduate
If the son is first everywhere,
There are easily enough stars from the sky -
It's all parental nerves
The result is being pushed towards him.
If a daughter grows up for the joy of others,
Smart girl, athlete and artist,
So it was my mother who tried:
She was both a mentor and a close friend.
Here they are, beloved children:
Your boys and your girls,
Your little children, your little blood.
There are none more expensive, closer or more beautiful.
How many sleepless nights and days
Given for daughters and sons!
How many difficult and long years
Given for daughters and sons!
Graduate
Who loved and caressed children,
Who didn't get enough sleep at night?
Who was worried about them?
And sometimes it was built?
Patiently day after day
They were raised... with a belt?
Did you help the teacher?
Who is this? Parents!
1st presenter. A word to the parents of graduates.
Parents of graduates speak. Then the Master appears in a robe.
I am a messenger from the Age of Enlightenment!
Greetings, young talents,
I came to see for myself
The fact is that the fire of knowledge has not gone out!
And being seriously concerned
The fate of science in current conditions,
I intend to take an oath from converts.
Do you swear, O undergrown tribe,
Achieve unprecedented success in work,
Do you swear not to interrupt communication?
What knowledge did school give you?
Do you swear, having left from now on
In this sad hour, the abode of enlightenment,
Don’t waste all your knowledge and experience,
Received within these walls?
The graduates respond: “We swear!”
Do you swear, O young fools,
Throwing without looking back into the sea of life,
Don’t forget your alma mater in the future,
And most importantly, her teachers?
The graduates respond: “We swear!”
Do you swear, listening to foreigners,
From now on, with godless words
Should we not pollute our mighty tongue?
The graduates respond: “We swear!”
And if suddenly luck befalls you,
Do you swear, having become a thousand times richer,
The latest Versace shirt
Will you give it to this monastery?
The graduates respond: “We swear!”
Do you swear, O young tribe,
Don't consume a drop of alcohol
And tobacco from today?
The graduates respond: “We swear!”
My friends! Hear today
The last call is you. Accept
From now on, good luck!
May the heights of knowledge conquer you,
Storm them without fear - I wish you...
1st presenter
We wish you strength, inspiration,
Less failures and tears.
And in our difficult age - more patience!
And the fulfillment of everyone’s dreams and dreams!
May you find something you like!
May you meet true love!
2nd presenter
Forward, graduates, step boldly,
We wish you happiness and success again!
Thanks to the wave of anti-corruption rallies that began in March of this year, schoolchildren have now become perhaps the most important newsmakers: at a protest rally in Tomsk they gave a fiery speech fifth grader performed, a schoolchild from Vladikavkaz received a visit from Center “E” because of a comment on VKontakte, and a school principal from the Bryansk region argued with his students about geopolitics. The Village went to a citywide graduation in Gorky Park to anonymously talk with yesterday's schoolchildren about the agenda: rallies, video bloggers and prohibition at the main graduation day in Moscow.
20:30
The citywide graduation took place on the night from Friday to Saturday: the disco with the participation of Basta and the signees of the Black Star label lasted until six in the morning. Alcohol was strictly prohibited during the farewell to the school; before the start of the holiday, the park, closed to the public, was searched several times: “The last check was at 18:00 today. Everyone who expected that some surprises might have been left here in advance - they are no longer here today. There are no problems with having a fun and interesting evening in Gorky Park today,” reported the head of the Moscow Department of Culture, Alexander Kibovsky, before the graduation ceremony.
To get into the territory of Gorky Park, I had to get accreditation, go around several barricades, listen to the teasing of bored riot police (“I don’t have such a beautiful bracelet”), obediently defend a briefing from a friendly employee of the park’s PR service (“You downloaded the Graduation 2017 app, after all.” ?) and finally awkwardly walk along the red carpet occupied by photographers all alone. Inside the park, a military band was waiting for me, which competed in volume with a straight barrel thundering from the stage, volunteers with flags, clowns on stilts, and, remembered from the recent Russia Day, knights with swords fighting to the sounds of a button accordion. Graduates were just starting to arrive. They were divided into groups, passed along the red carpet in portions and immediately led to a small stage where a forced interview took place: “So, what school do you represent?”
Delving deeper into the still empty park, I find two schoolchildren in neat suits. Danila is interested in IT and doesn’t want to “just sit in a closed room and stupidly earn money.” Andrey is going to enter a prestigious technical university, but is already working - launching airships at Dynamo Moscow hockey matches. I’m starting a conversation about Navalny. "He is the best. We are looking forward to the rallies! No, of course, this is sarcasm,” Danila laughs. - We are apolitical. We know the guys who went. This is a useless exercise, you won’t be able to change anything anyway.”
I turn the conversation to bloggers. I remember Sasha Spielberg, who recently spoke in the State Duma. "It is not normal. The country is already a mess, why make it worse?” - Danila perks up. “Bloggers have no education, why do they interfere in the Duma?” - adds his friend. “Well, I would argue about education - look, Wylsacom graduated from law school,” Danila answers. "And what? Khovansky over there was also finishing something!” - Andrey sums up. At first, classmates refuse to answer questions about alcohol. I explain that the interview is anonymous. “Well, of course, we’ll drink, it’s a holiday. Is alcohol prohibited? How to say. In general, yes, but when we go for a walk further, it will become easier in this regard. And if there was an opportunity to bring it here, we would, of course, bring it.”
22:00
It's starting to get dark. I return to the main entrance, trying to go around the main stage. Buses continue to arrive at the park. Schoolchildren noisily unload and for some reason transfer to a limousine, clumsily painted with pink spray paint. I come across three smiling graduates - Gleb, Ira and Katya. “I’m madly waiting for Yegor Creed and Mot! And Basta is a serious guy, but his songs are sad,” Ira rejoices. - It’s cool that they invited us to vote and make a choice. They voted for Mota - he’s a baby.” "Drink? And where? We were searched. In general, we are already ready,” the friends laugh.
They watch bloggers with pleasure, but are unhappy with Sasha Spielberg’s performance: “They have no place in the State Duma. Sasha Spielberg swimming in chips is not cool. She performed simply terribly.” Navalny also does not inspire enthusiasm: “None of our people went to rallies, this is absurd. Everything in the world is unfair, so even if I went and was not allowed to take the exam, which was the next day, what would be the point? In general, there are other problems: were they really thinking about children when they did the Unified State Exam? We have a fairly strong, specialized class, but everyone failed. Everyone knows mathematics well, but they only wrote 45–50 points. What is there: our teachers would not have passed the Unified State Exam.”
Standing nearby are two strong graduates - Ivan and Nikita. Van wears a mandatory white shirt and ribbon, but Nikita came to the prom in a large jacket and Adidas sneakers. “Concerts? If something happens, then let’s go,” Nikita squints. “We want a break! - his friend adds in a deep bass voice. - Do you know “Slow”? I would like to listen to such a track.” “What are we interested in? Yes so. Well, what can we be interested in...” says a graduate in sneakers. “Sports! - his friend helps him out. - Which one? Everyone! He's a hockey player and I'm a boxer." I’m trying to defuse the situation: “Guys, this is an anonymous interview.” The graduates exhale: “Oh, let’s get drunk already. But we won’t be in the park: they’re roaming around. In general, it was possible to carry it, but my conscience began to play. Then we’ll go for a walk in the courtyards of Moscow, in the area.”
23:00
“The Ice Is Melting” is playing for the third time that evening, the DJ turns off the sound at the chorus, and the schoolchildren happily join in. The presenter announces a break: “Thank you, guys! Well, we continue to raise the level... uh, musical level!” I'm walking along the embankment. The path to Neskuchny Garden is blocked, I come to a dead end. I meet Dima, a freckled, curly-haired graduate in a bow tie. “I’m looking forward to Basta’s concert. The rest is not needed. The lineup is not relevant for young people - why call Lazarev in 2017?” Dima takes up the conversation about politics with pleasure: he plans to enroll at Moscow State University to study political science and even went to the rally on June 12. “My friend was detained then - they simply took him from the crowd and took him to a paddy wagon. Fortunately or unfortunately, at that moment I moved away a little, so I remained free and calmly wrote exams. The desire to go to rallies has not disappeared, but why? Our constitution guarantees the right to go out on the street safely.” The flushed graduate admits: “Well, of course, we already drank. It’s simple: you take Coca-Cola and add everything else.”
It's already completely dark in the park. I meet Dasha and Katya - friends in chokers. “Here video bloggers will congratulate us - I won’t go to them, no! I don’t watch them and generally think they are stupid people. The dumber their videos are, the more popular they are. This is wrong: people are deprived of their values! They are already speaking in the State Duma - is this generally normal?” - Dasha is indignant. Katya picks up: “Who listens to Glucose? We’re not listening.” Both graduates are apolitical, and they are not going to drink today: “I want to remember this day. In general, we are for a healthy lifestyle.”
Two teenagers sit next to the volleyball court in style: one in a yellow North Face jacket and Air Max, the other in a snapback and ripped jeans with tattoos visible through them. “Do you want to talk about Navalny? Won't they take us away? - friends laugh. - We have a positive attitude towards him. Now the country is not acting in accordance with the Constitution. Why the hell is it even needed then?” I ask if they have heard about the rallies. “Well, of course, we heard. My brother went there. He says that there were a lot of people and these people were, let’s say, confident.”
The guys are waiting for the performances of Basta, Mot and Creed. Then they will go to the club on Red October, “next to Gypsy.” “Well, of course, we drank a little today, it’s graduation. This year they are roughing it up - it's sad. But in any case, you can always have fun without alcohol,” they say.
The tradition of celebrating the end of studies with classmates in Russia was started by the famous reformer, who during his reign managed to turn the usual way of life of Russians upside down - Peter I.
The first Russian graduates were students from mathematics and navigation schools, as well as military schools. In 1718, students from the school of mathematical and navigational sciences in Moscow celebrated the first Russian history high school graduation.
Yesterday's schoolchildren of that year were completely young people different ages, since the institution accepted “children” from 11 to 23 years old, and training could last 10-15 years.
In 1719, the holiday was held in St. Petersburg. Then the first graduates of the Maritime Academy were enjoying themselves in the capital of the empire. At that time, graduation ceremonies were combined with a ceremony that is now called the final bell: first, graduates were given certificates of completion educational institution, teachers and the director gave them farewell speeches, and then a festive banquet began for former students and teachers.
Gradually, the decorous dinner turned into a real bachelor party: graduates fraternized with teachers, drank champagne, sang songs in chorus, and also staged fist fights to show their bravery.
Over time, another tradition emerged: ordering identical rings, which became a symbol of belonging to a kind of alumni club. In adult life thanks to these rings, graduates of the same educational institutions of different years could recognize each other as brothers.
The director of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum presented the first graduates of the institution, among whom was Alexander Pushkin, cast-iron rings made from fragments of the bell of the Lyceum church in the form of intertwined hands.
According to tradition, after the graduation ceremony (that’s what this holiday was called at that time), the bell that had been collecting students for classes for several years was broken.
The rings became a symbol of strong, brotherly love between lyceum students, who since then began to call themselves “cast ironmen.”
At the farewell ball, friends from the lyceum promised to meet each other every year on the founding day of the lyceum, October 19. And they kept their promise. Alexander Gorchakov became the last lyceum student of the first graduating class, who celebrated the memorable day alone in 1882.
Milk rivers, muslin banks
In the 19th century, the tradition of bachelor parties changed radically, because now girls began to appear at the holidays. This was not due to the fact that girls received diplomas, because at that time education, especially higher education, was available mainly to men. Parents brought their daughters to graduations in order to find a suitable groom.
For the sake of such a serious matter - marriage, and not obtaining a certificate - the parents did not skimp. In order to equip their daughter for her first voyage at a social ball, fathers spent thousands of rubles, unprecedented money at that time, which was available only to the richest nobles. On average, one trip for a beautiful daughter cost up to 3 thousand rubles, the amount could be more - 10-20 thousand rubles. It’s scary to imagine how the heads of families with daughters of the same age went bankrupt.
With the arrival of girls at graduation came the tradition of balls and dances, as well as innocent flirting and advances. Of course, the parents were on the alert and kept a vigilant eye on their children. At that time, young people danced mazurka and cotillion at graduation balls. Later, during II, graduates with young ladies began to dance the polka and waltz.
The last dance was considered more intimate, since the gentleman hugged his partner around the waist, and their hands touched, which, by the way, allowed them to exchange notes.
In the 19th century, cadets and cadets started another unique graduation tradition - swimming in fountains on warm June evenings, climbing onto monuments and pouring paint on them.
While proms were also held in women's educational institutions, for example, at the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens, but access to such evenings was possible only by invitation. Young graduates wanted to amaze each other and their gentlemen at the main holiday, and therefore ordered themselves dresses from expensive and light translucent fabric - muslin, which is why the girls, many of whom were infantile and overly emotional, began to be called “muslin young ladies”.
While the capital's graduates were having fun at balls, young people in the provinces celebrated graduation in their own way. For example, we owe the tradition of celebrating the first day of adulthood on a ship to graduates of the Men's Gymnasium in Krasnoyarsk. The parents of the students chipped in and rented a steamboat for their children, which took them along the Yenisei.
By the way, only three graduates were able to enjoy the river walk.
Of the 70 people in the first intake, only six reached the final course. Half of them failed the exams, so those three chosen ones deserved not only a river trip and a sunrise, but also that we would mention them as pioneer graduates.
If in the 19th century they tried to make proms as luxurious and rich as possible, then at the beginning of the next century the holidays became more modest. Most likely this was due to the fact that education became available not only to the richest noblemen and noblewomen, but also to representatives of other classes. Gymnasium students and cadets wore the festive uniform of their educational institution at graduation. The schoolgirls also dressed up in identical and rather modest dresses. In addition, during these years, the institutes of noble maidens for the first time began to independently pay for “banquets with music.” Before this, all material expenses fell on the shoulders of the graduates’ parents.
Tomorrow there was a war
After October revolution In 1917, graduation celebrations became even more modest and strict. Needless to say, even the word “ball” was considered too old-fashioned and bourgeois and was replaced by “evening”. Until the mid-1930s, graduation ceremonies took place in the form of ceremonial lines, at which the school director presented certificates to former students. However, over time, the desire of young people to properly celebrate the beginning of a new life took its toll and graduations began to be held with dance evenings.
On June 20 and 21, 1941, the country of the Soviets celebrated its last peaceful graduations before the Great Patriotic War.
“On June 21, 1941, we had a graduation party, we finished school... the holiday was very cheerful, joyful, we were all very beautiful. Although the time was difficult, we put on the most beautiful dresses. When we received our certificates, the whole class went to Red Square. One boy had a portable radio, he turned on the music, and we danced a waltz on Red Square. This lasted quite a long time, we laughed joyfully, dreamed... And when we danced to our heart’s content, one boy went to accompany me along the embankment.
He's been in love with me since second grade. If he had remained alive, he probably would have later become a major scientist, he was such an interesting boy!..,” recalls one of the graduates of the Moscow school.
For the next three years, Soviet graduates had no time for big holidays. In classes high school Back then, mostly only girls studied - the boys went to the front. That's why you don't usually see male faces in school photographs of the war years.
The tradition of saying goodbye to school has returned to Soviet Union after the war. Even in those difficult years, graduates tried to dress up for dances at proms. For example, collars with lace ruffles came into fashion, which schoolgirls could sew onto their dresses themselves.
Moreover, the students of those years were much more mature than modern schoolchildren. Former front-line soldiers who did not have time to obtain a certificate during the war returned to school and completed their studies.
At the same time, in addition to the certificate, graduates began to receive commemorative sheets made of thick cardboard with photographs of all teachers and professors. This is how albums appeared, which are now a mandatory attribute of graduation, not only from 11th grade, but also from 9th and 4th grades.
Graduation ceremonies were held in schools, with police officers on duty at the doors who did not let former students leave the building until six in the morning.
In addition to dancing, there was another entertainment for graduates - skit dances. The children staged excerpts from plays and humorous skits of their own composition. And so-called “sweet tables” also appeared: participants of the holiday could treat themselves to pies, sweets and soda, but no alcohol was allowed.
It is interesting that the school gave out the characteristics required for each Komsomol member only the morning after graduation. Apparently, this gave schoolchildren another incentive to control themselves even at graduation.
