Why black toga is worn during college graduation?

Answer 1

At Aristotle's exclusive peripatetic college, The Lyceum, where young men were taught in the essential disciplines of the mind, it was a customary practice to undergo a "baptisma"-or a sacramental cleansing of the body and soul by "dipping" oneself into a rarefied pool of water-after a student had effectively cleansed his mind following a stay at the Lyceum.

This new purifying of the mind ceremony was first symbolized by the divestment of all things brought to the school. The student, now naked and stripped of all things extraneous, would be draped in a simple an ankle-length chiton, or a toga-like garment. Following the baptism ritual, the chiton would take on a darker hue, as it was now wet, and pressed flat against the student's body. The Romans borrowed the essence of this tradition-save for the ritual of the water-using instead navy-coloured togas with a slight purple trim, perhaps suggesting future royal service. Many would, in fact, come to serve the Roman government and co-consulships advisors on economics, city planning, battle tactics or colonization.

Graduation today offers the world another fine new group of young men and women. All are effectively spruced in their dark-hued togas-most black or navy blue-and each one well accenting the smile of optimistic joy on the face of that student, as they toward their promising future, as did the first peripatetic graduates. However, unlike those among the original Lyceum graduating class, these happy grads are both well-dressed underneath their modern-day chitons and bone dry to boot.

Answer 2

The black toga worn during college graduations symbolizes tradition and solidarity. It is meant to signify academic achievement and the transition from student to graduate. The color black is often used to represent formality and respect for the occasion.