studentmössor

As a Swedish rite of passage, the one marking graduation from gymnasium (similiar to high school in the U.S.) is the most bizarre and fun-filled.

Students wear white, sailor-style caps, a holdover from the 19th century, when students at Uppsala University donned hats that were already popular in Denmark and Germany.

Graduates start the day singing, typically with a champagne breakfast, a traditional song about their youth. Next, they rush out of the building to meet their families. Parents have prepared a sign for the student to carry with the student's picture on it. They're required to carry the placard. They also march around a statue near Helsingborg's City Hall for good luck.

Next, they board something like a parade float. Groups of students actually rent or hire their own floats, flat-bed trucks and the like, or have someone drive them in a car. In Helsingborg, they drive up and down the main street, drinking champagne and with loud music from a boombox.
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