HOOD AND GOWN !

We are coming up to Prizegiving this week, wearing our gowns and hoods and presenting academic honours to students at a glamorous evening. Clearly a British tradition, it makes for an interesting evening when interpreted by kiwis.
The history of academic dress goes back hundreds of years to the chill universities where cap, gown and hood were needed for covering and warmth, particularly in the British winters in the dining hall! But it wasn't until the 18oos that colours were given to academic subjects.

Of course, the sleeves is the first place to look, because sleeves in the bachelor's gown are pointed, in the masters gown they are oblong and the arms project at the elbow, and in the doctor's gown they are bell shaped.
My subject is blue for education. Here's my nifty number!





The dentists get lilac, economists copper,journalists crimson, musicians pink and nurses apricot..the colour for commerce and accountancy is 'drab' (oh dear!)
Then there's peacock blue for the Foreign service, scarlet for Theology and lemon for Library Science - what a colourful lot!
The trimmings tell a tale too - rabbit fur for the Bachelors, coloured silk for the Masters .. we haven't gone as far as wearing a trencher, tam or mortarboard.
Well, here, if you go to Waikato Uni all the colours are the same.. no distinction.. and when I arrived I had a green hood allocated...oh well, hundreds of years of tradition .. and for what?