Ballagás

In Hungary, the custom of Ballagás began in Selmecbánya in the 1870s, when students of the local forestry and mining academy sang a song starting with Ballag már a vén diák... as a farewell to their school.

[citation needed] The customs were heavily influenced by the world of Hungarian folk tales, associating leaving school with the image of wandering, a common theme in such stories.

Additionally, final-year students began the tradition of serenading their teachers on the night before graduation, a practice that continues to this day.

[1] Before the university traditions, the folk festival known as Legényavató ("Stag Inauguration") symbolized coming of age in Hungarian culture.

On the day of Ballagás, students dressed in uniforms march through the school corridors and classrooms, and sometimes nearby streets, following the flag bearer.

[3] The ballagó tarisznya and the pogácsa represent the journey of wandering, the soil from the school grounds symbolizes home, and the pinch of salt signifies the flavor and challenges that make life meaningful.

During the school ceremony, some members of the class reminisce about memorable moments from the past years, and teachers offer advice for life ahead.

A modern tradition involves releasing helium balloons together at the end of the event, symbolizing the freedom of adult life and letting go of childhood.

For example, since 1922, students at the Evangelical Lyceum of Sopron have gone on a hike in the forest wearing their suits, where they drink spring water as part of the celebration.

[8] The Ballagás itself holds symbolic meaning: the graduates bid farewell not only to their school but also to their past lives, marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter.

Ballagás symbolizes the end of childhood and the transition to adulthood, making it a significant event for both the graduates (during the brief period known as ballagó) and their parents.

The green ribbon is inscribed with the start and end dates of their high school years and symbolizes the transition to adulthood.