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Calotte (Belgium)
Encyclopedia
Skullcap
Skullcap or skull cap may refer to:* Calvaria , in anatomy, the top part of the skull* Headgear:** A Kippah or yarmulke, a small cloth skullcap worn by Orthodox Jewish men and some Jewish women...
worn by students at catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
universities in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It originates from the skullcap worn by the Papal Zouave regiment around 1860.
The calotte is cylindrical, made from velvet and astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
(pelt of newborn lamb). The color of the top is bordeau red for the universities of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, Louvain-la-Neuve
Louvain-la-Neuve
Louvain-la-Neuve is a planned city in the municipality of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, situated 30 km southeast of Brussels, in the French-speaking part of the country...
and Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
, white for the university of Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
and emerald for the university of Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
.
In the front of the calotte are stripes representing the Belgian flag (black, yellow and red) and stripes representing the colors of the city or the university where the calotte has been received. At the back of the calotte, the faculty of the student is represented by a color and a symbol, with if needed an additional symbol to determine the speciality. Golden stars around the calotte represent the number of years that the student has studied successfully (if a year has to be retaken, a silver star will represent it). In addition to that, a number of official and personal pins will be added to the calotte, all representing waffles about its owner examples include:
- Official position in a student organisation (above the considered year's star)
- Hobbies and occupations (cardplayer, partyer...)
- Character (patriot, lazy...)
History
Several legends explain the appearance of the calotte at the Belgian Catholic universities, but none has been definitely corroborated.In a first version, it starts after the troops of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emanuel II was king of Sardinia from 1849 and, on 17 March 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878...
invaded the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
in 1870. Hundreds of Belgian students went to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to defend the papal sovereignty. One tradition has it that Zouave
Zouave
Zouave was the title given to certain light infantry regiments in the French Army, normally serving in French North Africa between 1831 and 1962. The name was also adopted during the 19th century by units in other armies, especially volunteer regiments raised for service in the American Civil War...
soldiers rejoined the Catholic University of Louvain
Université catholique de Louvain
The Université catholique de Louvain, sometimes known, especially in Belgium, as UCL, is Belgium's largest French-speaking university. It is located in Louvain-la-Neuve and in Brussels...
(UCL
Université catholique de Louvain
The Université catholique de Louvain, sometimes known, especially in Belgium, as UCL, is Belgium's largest French-speaking university. It is located in Louvain-la-Neuve and in Brussels...
) and started the tradition of the calotte.
In another version, Edmond Carton de Wiart, one of the founders of the General Society for Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
's Students (français: Société Générale catholique des étudiants bruxellois), a law student in the town of Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, wore the cap to go skating on the frozen lakes in the winter. A few days later, more students started waring the calotte, until it developed into a sort of new trend.
In the 19th century, the calotte was worn by Catholic students only (called calottins), while the penne, another cap with a very long peak, was worn by liberal (i.e. non-Catholic) students (the gueux). Rivalry between the two factions led to numerous bloody disputes on both sides, a tradition which still persists, albeit less heatedly, to this day.
During the 1980s, the tradition of the calotte was revived after the Catholic University of Louvain was split between French speaking and Dutch speaking Universities, the former moving to a new campus at Louvain-la-Neuve, which in turn brought about a resurgence of ancient student traditions, among them the calotte.
The calotte is awarded after a rite of passage called Corona (from Latin crown, for the shape of the assembly) by numerous student unions called "Ordres", "Cercles" and "Régionales" to hundreds of students each year.
The qualifications required for receiving a calotte vary, but always include a minimum time spent on a given campus, a knowledge of the calotte, Latin formulaes and student songs.
Symbolism
The meaning of the calotte has evolved, but whatever the theories may be on its origins, the calotte is mainly a sign that indicates the student's belonging to a group. The student is also able to express his individuality by wearing several insignia on the calotte that will reflect their academic curriculum, their personal interests and even their character.These insignia are not arbitrary but have a shared meaning that is understood by most students in Belgium.
Because the calotte is a strong symbol for students at Catholic universities in Belgium, it is often associated with the broader Catholic institutions, and therefore used in anticlerical expressions.
In the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, "kaloot" (plural "kaloten") is an epithet for clericalist Catholics. It is a pun on "calotte" and on "kloten" (the Dutch word for testicles, which plays the role of an all-purpose swear-word like "f*ck" in English).
In the French speaking part of Belgium "calotte" is mentioned in the following anticlerical song:
- À bas la calotte, à bas la calotte
- À bas les calotins ...
The Banane Radieuse : particular case
A student who has lived a minimum number of years in Africa (minimum varies between 1 and 8 years) or was born on this continent, can be delivered a calotte called "Banane Radieuse". This calotte is identical to the traditional calotte, except for the top where astrakhan is replaced by leopard fur.Student Hats in the World
- In Belgium : The Penne and the Calotte
- In Denmark : Studenterhuen
- In France : The FalucheFalucheA faluche is a traditional cap worn by students in France. It is a black velvet beret, decorated with colored ribbons and badges.Several student groups wear the faluche, especially bitards, basochards, and faluchards...
- In Luxembourg : The Casquette
- In Italy : The Feluca
- In Switzerland : The Stella
- In General: Student capStudent capIn various European countries, student caps of different types are or have been worn, either as a marker of a common identity, as is the case in the Nordic countries, or to identify the bearer as member of a smaller corporation within the larger group of students, as is the case with the caps worn...