I was prompted to write this piece after attending my daughter’s graduation where she received her Masters Degree in Human Resource Management.
As an event it was well organised, well attended by families and friends of the graduates and had a ceremonial feel. Present on the platform, which they reached and after left via a procession (recession is the proper going out word) accompanied by organ music, were The Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, the Queens’s representative in Derbyshire complete with his uniform and spurs, in contrast to the Duke of Devonshire in the very ornate, gold braided robes of the Chancellor of the University. (Some people may be confused that the actual running of the University is done by the Vice Chancellor in other walks of life he would be the Chief Executive.) The others were a selection of the academic great and good, the chairs of various University bodies, professors, heads of departments etc all in traditional academic costume with caps and gowns, but differing in various ways by colour etc.... it quite put the other people there, a brace or two of Mayors and Councillors, to shame, a business suit or smart dress even with a gold chain really didn’t cut it !
Handing over a certificate takes seconds, but the point of this musing was that the event, its costumes, well choreographed movements of people, speeches etc all gave an additional air of importance to the event and so I believe is the case with other significant life events, events which anthropologists call ‘rites of passage’ and delight in discovering new ones in obscure societies.
The most common are of course birth, coming of age, (no consensus when that is) marriage and death. These are traditionally accompanied by ceremony and the calling of people together to celebrate or mourn. Others less so might include first day at school, last day at work and the abundance of award presentations and events held by ........well almost anyone, various trade and other bodies, TV and Radio and film have a good collection etc
Again ritual and costumes play a major part, even a funeral has the expectation of black clothing, apart from the Chinese who I believe use white. Many have religious connotation such as baptisms, some religions doing this at the baby stage, others wait until an adult stage and despite the declining population of those who regularly attend church or similar on other days...........weddings seem, to some, to be ‘better’ in a white gown with page boys and a few hymns and of course vows to a God who the attendees may not even believe in.
Likewise funerals, in this case the leading lady or man does not play any part being ......well ...dead and thus we might conclude that many of the rites are not for the main characters but for others left behind.
Why therefore is there this part of the human condition that needs to share events, to be comforted or more relaxed with set rituals? Of course some buck the trend, at the Graduation I counted two people who came to collect the degree but who had not chosen to wear the gown and cap. I cannot know why they felt that way but still wished to attend, rather than get the certificate in the post.
It may just be the social nature of mankind who like company and wish to share good and bad with others. It could be that we all like to dress up occasionally, it may be that we believe, maybe even unconsciously, that life’s progress is so difficult and fraught with danger, that we need to celebrate the good times and mark the bad in special ways. It could just be hope trying to overturn reality (oh sorry getting a bit pessimistic here).
Anyway next time you are invited to a rite of passage event think about why you are there and how important it is not just to the main actors, but also to the others attending..........and if at all possible get yourself in a role where you get the brightest and most sumptuous costume available, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
Have a nice ritual soon.
