jeudi 19 mars 2009

Sotsugyoshiki : the graduation ceremony


In the back, from the left: me, Tania, Bridget and Marc. In the front: Miwa, Small Aya and Big Aya.

Nothing to do with the Canadian or American’s! First of all, there is no prom like party, only the graduation ceremony. For the occasion, the girls are wearing the hakama (a kimono over which a skirt like piece of clothing is added- a traditional dress from edo) and the guys suits (how boring!! The poor guys…). But anyways, since YPU originally was an all girls school, today the girls still greatly outnumber the boys (1:8 ratio!) and we got to see so many beautiful hakamas!!

Wearing the hakama is even less common then wearing the kimono. Most people do not have one and in October, a rental agency comes on campus for several days and girls will go try out hakamas over their kimono to find a matching one. Then a week before the ceremony you have to give all of your attire to a company that dresses people in traditional Japanese clothing (!) and around 8 in the morning on the ceremony day, you go there, they dress you up and about an hour or so later you are ready to go to the ceremony, which started at 9h40.

The graduating students went in the hall with their families, and we needed to wait outside. Surprise: almost all of the rest of the school came to congratulate their senpais!! It’s not a bad thing in this case, but Japan’s older/younger hierarchy always stuns me.

Inside the students are being talked to. Sometimes they stand up because some official person speaks, sometimes they’re sitting. From what my friends (and teachers!!) told us, it’s intense boringness.

Then they came out (at 11h30 !) and everybody rushed to see their friends (senpais) and take pictures of/with them. Later they could get their diplomas (in a surprisingly non ceremonial way) and take group pictures.

Around 2 it was over! Most of my friends went to take their hakamas off and then have a meal with their seminar friends and teacher.

Very interesting as a whole: no food, no drink, no party; everything is done in the morning and beginning of the afternoon. No prom-like event.

Still, the dresses were wonderful. *___*

In the middle is Haruka, my tutor for the first semester. <3>

The sakura started to bloom!! :D

3 commentaires:

mi-que a dit…

Wow!! How impressive!
I think I would have a hard time getting used to custums and habits in Japan! It is soooo different! I think that having this "young-old link" is something missing here, but how good to have!!
Enjoy it as much as you can, sis!
Luv u !

Ti a dit…

WoW C'est tellement rapide pour pour une cérémonie aussi importante! Enfin a moins que ce ne soit pas considéré de la même façon qu'ici, mais c'est tellement beau! Et comment ça se fais que tu soit en noir toi? T'aurais pu en profité! Toutes ses couleurs! T.T J'aimerais voir de quoi t'a l'air en kimono au moins ;p

Dominique DP a dit…

... mais, mais!

Je graduais pas, moi...