a swedish high school graduation!

sweden's high school graduation traditions are light-hearted and such fun; it made for a special day.

from a tradition that dates to the mid-1800s, students were 'sailor' hats, called studentmössa, with their names on them and a gem between first and last names. inside the caps, the lining is blue and white representing the swedish colours (although i wish i had opted for the canadian flag colours). girls pair their hat with a white dress while boys were a suit (usually blue). it's a relaxed dress code and some students will wear sneakers or do without the jacket and/or tie. 

after the awards ceremony (in international baccalaureate program, diplomas are issued in august), utspringet takes place. this literally means 'running out'... students joyously run out of the school to loud music and confetti while family and teachers cheer them on. it's really special. in covid times, to reduce social contact, kai's graduating class ran out in groups of 24-30, four times the fun :)

after their run, students go into the crowd to find their people which isn't too difficult because the family holds up placards with their graduate's baby/toddler photo (it could be either cute or embarrassing, i opted for cute). students are then given flowers and are adorned with multiple necklaces with stuffed animals and other trinkets attached to wear around their necks (i.e. teddy bears, champagne bottles, noise makers, and other things that may represent the student's personality or interests). many photographs are then taken (scroll and keep scrolling all the pics).

pre-covid, the students would then board a flatbed truck, called a flaket, to continue the party. the truck is decorated and driven around town playing loud music while students drink, dance, laugh, and enjoy themselves. people will honk their horns or cheer in support as they drive by. you can literally hear the students from miles away. and, you hear it all day, every day, for about two weeks as different schools have different graduation dates. while this mobile party seems completely dangerous to me, it happens all over sweden every year. however, because of covid, kai's graduating class boarded a boat two days later for a similar celebration, just as fun and loud as the trucks.

the students then go home to continue the party. we celebrated with one of kai's best friends' family who over the years have become our friends too. in a beautiful setting by the water, we barbequed, drank too much prosecco, and reminisced about our boys.

before school

first time tying and wearing a tie

homemade sign with swedish colours and a couple of canadian flags / the necklaces waiting to adorn kai

first pair of 'fancy' shoes

before the festivities

on our way to school

utspringet

on our walk home

party by the water

it felt really special to participate in the swedish graduation festivities.