The procedures and traditions surrounding academic graduation ceremonies differ around the world.
India In India the graduation ceremony is commonly known as convocation. At the universities and institutes, the graduation ceremonies are formal affairs, which include an academic procession by both the academic heads and the students. The students usually get dressed up in a formal attire, wear a form of academic dress - usually a gown that is worn open in the front, sometimes accompanied by a square hat. They will have a procession of the academic staff and graduands, a valediction and then they are handed the certificates by the chief guest.
Japan Elementary and secondary schools Underclassmen, parents, and teachers are seated first. The vice principal leads in the local officials and special guests. The teachers all stand and bow to them as they enter. When the graduates enter, they are led by their homeroom teachers. Everyone walks very slow and deliberate. They walk in straight lines and make 90 degree turns if turning is necessary. The students line up next to their chairs and wait for the home room teacher to signal and they all sit at once. The homeroom teacher then joins the rest of the teachers. The head of ceremonies asks everyone to stand and bow towards the Japanese flag. This is coordinated by playing three chords on the piano. 1st-prepare, 2nd-bow, 3rd-return upright.
Singing has a large part in the Japanese schools curriculum and is also a big part of graduation. The first song is Japan's national anthem, followed by the city song and the school song. The latter two are usually printed in the program. This is the last time the graduating class will sing the school song together with the rest of the school. At this point, or after diplomas, the lower class sings to the graduating class, and the graduating class to the lower class. Then everyone sings together. Some of the possible songs are: Tabidachi no Hi ni :ja:旅立ちの日に, Sayonara, Until the World is One by Ya-Ya-Yah, Sakura by Naotaro Moriyama :ja:さくら (森山直太朗の曲), Aogeba Tōtoshi and Hotaru no Hikari (sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne).
After singing has finished, the principal wearing a Japanese style tuxedo or black tie goes to the podium. Usually a female teacher wearing a hakama brings out diplomas on a large tray. The homeroom teacher for each class calls out the names of his or her students in gender-split alphabetical order. Recently some schools have discontinued splitting the class by gender. Students stand and say "はい" (hai), Japanese for "yes". Large classes may only have their names called. Smaller classes might have each student go to the stage and receive their diploma. They queue up, walking in straight lines, 90 degree turns, at a deliberately slow pace. At some elementary schools the students give a short speech about what they want to do at Junior High before receiving their diplomas.
The principal reads the diploma out loud once to the first student in each class. The diploma is handed over full size in an open cover (not rolled-up). The principal rotates the diploma to face the student and hands it to them. The student receives the diploma by using their left hand first, and then their right hand before pulling it towards them. The student steps back and exchanges bows with the principal. The student then slowly closes the diploma and folds it under their left hand before turning and walking away. Returning to their seats, students stop and bow to the special guests.
After all the students are seated again, the principal makes a speech. The speeches are written vertically from top to bottom, right to left on a fan folded piece of paper. The principal's speech is followed by the head of the PTA. At junior high school an underclassmen may give a speech thanking the graduating students for things like being good senpai. And this is followed by a student speech from the student president. Students may give set group speeches, as if a dialogue between the lower class and upper class. Students take turns yelling out parts of the dialogue sometimes being accompanied by everyone or a few other students in unison. This might happen before, in-between and/or after the songs.
After ceremony students may get a final address by their homeroom teacher. A few moments later, the graduates are free to roam around the school, in and out of the teachers’ office. At Junior High school, students take everything with them on the last day and may do school cheers with the underclassman in front of the school. The school calendar does not end with graduation. The next business day after the ceremony 1st and 2nd year students continue classes until spring break officially starts.
Philippines
Graduation is the award or acceptance of an academic degree or diploma. For Filipinos, the term “graduation” usually refers to the graduation ceremonies undergone by graduates who have finished a level of education. Some view a person as having truly graduated only if they have “marched” onstage to accept their diploma during the graduation ceremonies. Thus, graduation may be also considered a coming-of-age ritual for young Filipinos. Graduation ceremonies are held at the end of March or, in some cases, the beginning of April of every year.
Filipinos take part in a graduation ceremony every time they complete an educational level. These ceremonies are usually held for graduation from kindergarten, elementary school, high school, vocational school or college, and graduate school.
Attire
In past decades, elementary school and high school graduates usually wore white: white dresses for girls and white polo shirts and black pants for boys. The same went for kindergarten “graduates” except that girls usually wore identical dresses in a style and color agreed upon by the parents. Recent trends call for togas and mortarboards as standard graduation attire. The Department of Education (DepEd) also recently called for austerity measures, prohibiting extravagant spending and requiring students to wear only their school uniforms under their togas. All graduates usually wear corsages pinned on the left lapel or left breast of their clothing.
Graduates of vocational schools and colleges usually wear togas and mortarboards or caps. These are usually black, except for those colleges and universities that have togas made in the school colors. Underneath, the graduates wear formal clothes which may range from “Sunday best” to party attire. Those who finished post-graduate studies usually wear slightly different togas from those who finish undergraduate degrees. They also wear hoods banded with the color associated with their particular post-graduate course.
At the country’s national university, University of the Philippines (UP), the indigenous loose garment sablay is used as an academic costume since 2000 after it switched from the traditional cap and toga. It is traditionally worn over an ecru barong Tagalog and black pants for males, and a white or ecru dress for females. Sablay is worn by candidates for graduation at the right shoulder, and is then moved to the left shoulder after the President of the university confers their degree.
In 2020, DepEd proposed the use of sablay instead of cap and toga in the elementary and secondary graduation rites, akin to the official academic costume of UP, citing that the use of toga has “deep Western roots.”
Baccalaureate Mass
High school graduation ceremonies usually have a baccalaureate mass before the actual graduation ceremonies begin. This is especially true if the school is Catholic. Elementary school and college/post-graduate school graduations may or may not have baccalaureate masses.
Universities and colleges usually celebrate the baccalaureate mass and baccalaureate ceremonies on a separate day, usually the day before the graduation ceremonies. This is especially true if the school is Catholic. On this day, the awards for extra-curricular and co-curricular activities are given out, leaving only the major academic awards to be given on the graduation day itself.
Awards
The giving of awards for extra-curricular, co-curricular, and academic activities varies from school to school. Schools may give out all the awards on graduation day itself or may do so on a separate day before the graduation ceremonies.
Schools with a small student population usually opt to give out all awards on graduation day itself. However, bigger schools may give out lesser awards on the day before, which is called Recognition Day or Baccalaureate Day. These awards include those for extra-curricular and co-curricular activities like Athlete of the Year and Dancer of the Year, as well as “good conduct” awards such as "Most Behaved" and "Most Neat and Clean". The number and name of the awards may vary from school to school, depending on whom the teachers wish to honor.
The major academic awards given out on graduation day for elementary and high school are the awards for valedictorian, salutatorian, and honorable mention. The schools usually give awards to their top five graduates as follows: valedictorian, salutatorian, and first, second and third honorable mentions. The other awards are usually the Leadership Award and the awards for those who topped the different subjects. The latter is usually referred to as the “Bests” since they start with the words “Best in...” such as, “Best in Math”.
College and post-graduate schools usually award the following awards: summa cum laude (with highest honors), magna cum laude (with high honors), and cum laude (with honors). Unlike the awards are given in elementary and high schools which depend on class ranking, undergraduate and post-graduate awards are given based on grade point averages, so that there may be more than one graduate with the same award, or in many cases, none at all.
Awards are usually given in the form of ribbons on which are printed the name of the award, or medals with the name of the award engraved on the back, as well as certificates.
Ceremony
Although ceremonies vary from school to school, certain basic elements are usually the same. A typical graduation ceremony starts with the processional, which in some cases consists of the graduating class and their parents who formally walk side by side into the venue for the ceremony. Some schools have the students leave their parents at their designated seats. Boys then go up on the stage from the left and girls from the right. The two lines meet in center stage and go down the front steps, each pair bowing to the audience just before they reach the top step.
After the processional comes the invocation, which may either be spoken or sung by a choir or by the graduates themselves. Then, the national anthem is sung and the salutatorian gives their salutatory address which serves as the welcome address or opening remarks. The keynote speaker is then introduced. This speaker may be a notable person, a person of some authority or influence, or even a former student who has made good in their chosen field and whom the school feels should be an inspiration to the graduates. After the keynote address, the school principal, or chancellor in the case of universities, presents the graduates to the representative of the appropriate government institution by having them stand up. The representative in turn declares the students are graduates. After the declaration, the graduates are then awarded their diplomas.