Graduation!

The most notorious situation that I can think of that involved ritual within my life was my high school graduation. The book talks about rituals being framed, and this event definitely was framed (Sims and Stephens p. # 97). Not only were there specific times for it to start and end, but it was also framed with the opening comments from the principal. I think at that point, even if some people were a little late, they knew things were starting so they had to find seats and quiet down. I think another way that it was framed was with our caps and gowns. They signified something was occurring that was different than everyday life, and showed people that we were ending one stage of our lives and getting ready to begin a new one. I also think that this is a high-context ritual because it is a big, formal event that is time specific, has very specific purposes and most definitely requires specific attire. (Sims and Stephens p. # 99). Not only do the graduates wear special outfits, but those who receive special honors wear extra pieces, like a gold sash (in my school that was for the Top 10% of the class) or a different colored tassel (those who did community service). Another characteristic of this type of ritual, along with my graduation, is that it was lead by the administrative staff (Sims and Stephens p. #99). The group that leads the school in everyday affairs lead the graduating class through this special ritual. I believe that the graduation ceremony, and the moving of the tassel at the end, is a rite of passage ritual (Sims and Stephens p. # 110). I think this because it is marking the end of high school and adolescence and moving into the next stage of college and adulthood. I think this is why the book explains it as occurring during a change or transition period in someone’s life (Sims and Stephens p. # 110). The book explains three stages of rites of passage as separation, transition and reincorporation (Sims and Stephens p. # 111). I think with my example, the separation is when you literally separate the graduates from the rest of the school and family members to recognize them as about to go through this change. I think the transition involves getting ready with the cap and gown and getting any extra sashes or tassels, along with the actual ceremony and moving of the tassel. I think that’s like acknowledgement from the community and school that these students have transitioned from teenagers to young adults. The last part could either be the students becoming a part of the community in a new way by going to college and showing they are young adults or the end of the ceremony where everyone meets up again and the new graduates are flooded with congratulations from friends and family. That is when they are brought back into the whole of the community as “graduates.” I am still getting surprised during these reflections because I never realized how much folklore was involved in my life, so I’m learning more about my family, friends and life each time I do one. This post is my response to the Chapter 4 reflection question.