by Elena Khaliman
Probably, many of you have seen or participated in a graduation party in Trento. I remember the day when I saw this special celebration for the first time and I was so surprised. From that moment I became interested in it. I thought about why it is celebrated in this way in Trento, and what it means.
In Trento graduation is celebrated in the following way: after a discussion and a proclamation, the friends usually dress him or her in the most ridiculous way possible, they put the funny pictures around the city and prepare a billboard, better known as a "papyrus", which describes the adventures of the graduate, trying not to forgot all the most shameful and ridiculous events of his life. The papyrus is hanging from a tree or at least close to the university and the graduate himself (herself)must read it aloud. Whenever the alumnus misreads the document, he or she is urged by friends to drink some poor quality alcohol while being smeared with different objects, such as flour, tomato sauce, eggs, etc. After the "ritual" it is expected that the recent graduate laps around the city with his friends, chanting repeatedly " Dottore, dottore, dottore del buso del cul, vaffancul vaffancul "which can be translated as “Diplomate, diplomate, diplomate hole of ass, up yours, up yours ”.
The first celebration following these rituals were born with a riotous purpose, as a parody and reversal of official pompous ceremonies. The degree papyrus emerged in the '60s, and it initially represented a document that allowed new students to enter the university, a kind of defense against assaults of other older university students. The diplomat forced using "unkind" means to sign this document. This tradition has Padua origin and then. With time, slowly, arrived in Trento.
Among students these rituals are explained as outbursts of envy of friends who are still studying towards graduation. Ridiculing jokes towards the graduate are the way for those students to vent their anger at expense of the graduate because he has already finished his academic studies, while others are still bent over the books dealing with their exams.
You can choose whichever explanation you like. The fact remains that graduation with a degree in Trento is celebrated in this way. And there are people who consider these "rituals" stupid, while others really like them. But, anyway, the rituals are to be respected as a cultural heritage.