Embracing Tradition: Non-Heritage Floral Accessories at Graduation Ceremonies

In the breeze of June, a mix of melancholy farewells and the spirited cheers of new beginnings swirls around, as the academic gown's fabric brushes against shoulders and the tassel-turning ceremony concludes amidst applause. Each generation of young individuals bids farewell to their campus in a similar manner, yet they inscribe unique imprints of their era in the details. In recent years, an increasing number of graduates have chosen to adorn their academic caps with non-heritage floral accessories, allowing the shimmer of these flowers to meet the solemnity of the graduation cap and sparking a cultural dialogue spanning centuries.

Implementation and Creative Display

Choice and Wearing of Floral Accessories 簪花(zān huā):

Directly embellishing the academic cap: This is the most common method. Use hairpins or small pins to securely fasten carefully selected, medium-sized flowers on one side of the cap (usually the left or right front side). The flowers should not be too large or heavy to avoid hindering cap wearing or obstructing visibility.

簪花(zān huā),noun,floral accessories

Example:

She wore floral accessories at the graduation ceremony.  
她在毕业典礼上戴了簪花。  
tā zài bì yè diǎn lǐ shàng dài le zān huā.  

These handmade floral accessories are exquisite.  
这些手工簪花非常精美。  
zhè xiē shǒu gōng zān huā fēi cháng jīng měi.  

As hair accessories: Wear the floral accessories directly in the hair (especially styles that need to be inserted into a bun) or as hair combs, hairpins, etc., positioned beneath or on the side of the academic cap. This way, even when the cap is removed for photos, the floral accessory remains eye-catching.

Decorating the tassel or cap rim: Tie delicate floral accessories to the tassel or adorn the edge of the cap rim.

Combination and customization: Combine various non-heritage floral arts (e.g., velvet flowers + twisted flowers) or customize floral accessories with school logos and specialized design elements.

Use in Graduation Photos and Ceremonies:

Graduation photography: This is the best occasion to showcase the beauty of floral accessories. Emphasize close-up shots of the floral accessories or blend them into the campus scenery and cultural landmarks in the background.
 
Tassel-turning ceremony/Onstage certificate reception: When graduates step on stage, the floral accessories adorning their heads become a focal point, highly recognizable.

Group photos: If multiple students wear floral accessories (particularly from the same region or choosing the same series), it creates a unique visual effect and cultural ambiance.

Themed Graduation 毕业(bì yè) Activities:

Schools or departments can organize events like "Intangible Cultural Heritage Enters Campuses: Graduation Floral Accessory Season," inviting intangible heritage inheritors for on-site teaching, demonstrations, and even offering customized services, enabling more graduates to understand and experience the floral accessory culture.

毕业(bì yè),noun, graduation

Example:

We will graduate next month.  
我们下个月毕业。  
wǒ men xià gè yuè bì yè.  

He received a gift after graduation.  
他毕业后收到了礼物。  
tā bì yè hòu shōu dào le lǐ wù.

Examples of Floral Accessories on Academic Caps

Fujian universities (especially in Quanzhou, Xiamen, etc.):
The popularity of the "Shuipu Women's Floral Accessory" during graduation seasons. Graduates wear vibrant floral accessories for graduation photos, creating a unique scenery that is widely circulated on social media.

Other regional universities:
Intangible heritage floral accessory projects, such as Nanjing velvet flowers, Yangzhou reed flowers, Beijing silk flowers, etc., are gradually being discovered and used by graduates for graduation attire.

Social Media Impact:
Hashtags like #GraduationFloralAccessories and #FloralAccessoryAcademicCap have gained significant popularity on social platforms, attracting considerable attention and emulation, serving as a new way to promote intangible heritage.

The Deep Significance of Cultural Collisions and Integration

Dual expression of identity and belonging:

Academic cap: Symbolizes academic achievement, knowledge accumulation, and transitioning into a new life stage. It is a hallmark of the modern educational system.
  
Non-heritage floral accessories: Carry regional culture, historical memory, exquisite craftsmanship, and collective aesthetics. They represent cultural roots and spiritual belonging.

Fusion: When the two are combined, graduates not only showcase their academic identity but also proudly declare their acknowledgment and transmission of local culture. This is a profound expression of "achieving success while retaining roots."

Revitalization of tradition in modern context:
Using floral accessories in graduation ceremonies, a modern ritual, is a vivid practice of the principle of "heritage seen in people, phenomena, and daily life" protection. It brings ancient craftsmanship and aesthetic symbols out of museums and specific holidays, integrating them into significant milestones of young people's lives, breathing new vitality into them.

Personalization and aesthetic expression:
Within the uniform academic attire, floral accessories become the most eye-catching, personalized decoration. Graduates can choose floral accessories representing their hometown (such as Shuipu Women's Floral Accessory circle from Fujian, Nanjing velvet flowers, reed flowers from Yangzhou, etc.) or select flower patterns with auspicious meanings (like peonies symbolizing a bright future, plum blossoms representing perseverance), expressing unique aesthetic and emotional sentiments.

Manifestation of cultural confidence:
In the context of globalization, the younger generation actively choosing to wear floral accessories with deep cultural roots as decorations for important life events is a reflection of cultural consciousness and confidence. It conveys the message of "our culture is beautiful, trendy, and worth being proud of."

Points to Consider

Respecting cultural connotations:
Understand the cultural background and symbolic meanings of the floral accessories being worn, avoiding misuse or excessive commercialization leading to cultural distortion.

Preserving intangible heritage craftsmanship:
Support purchasing or renting high-quality floral accessories made by genuine intangible heritage inheritors or authorized workshops, respecting the labor value of artisans.

School regulations:
Understand the formal attire requirements for the graduation ceremony in advance, ensuring that floral accessories are tasteful and do not compromise the solemnity of the ceremony.

When the square corners of the academic cap meet the soft petals of the floral accessory, it is a gentle pause of millennia-old culture on youthful shoulders. This integration is not just a collision of creativity but also the self-continuation of cultural genes in a new era—every choice you make inscribes a future footnote for tradition. True inheritance begins with willingly imprinting culture on life's significant moments. Do you have a particular non-heritage floral accessory in mind that you would like to use at your graduation ceremony?