2026-05-05 You gotta Fight for your Right to Graduate

Qeima das Fitas

Every year in Porto, and other major cities in Portugal, we celebrate the completion of studies and graduation of university students with the Qeima das Fitas (Burning of the Ribbons). The tradition dates back to the 1850's in Coimbra and began in Porto in the 1940's. This year, from May 2 to May 9 there are activities in the central city celebrating this right of passage. Throughout the week, we saw students dressed in black with their capes and top coats or evening dresses around the streets, mostly being happy students and attending various activities and celebrations.

And for us, the highlight was Cortejo Academico (Academic Parade) on May 5 with not just the graduating students, but most of the students of all the Universities and colleges in Porto who numbered in the thousands. The graduates are wearing top hats with color denoting the university and the band denoting area of study. For example, yellow for medicine, red for law, light blue for computer science. And not too surprising, their enthusiasm was supported by the stash of Super Bock from the cooler on the "float".

Translation for above:  "the war heats up and profits too"

The parade finishes at the Avenida dos Aliados in front of City Hall, where the students are greeted by the mayor.

The tradition of tapping the top hat with the graduate's cane on the day of Cortejo Academico was super interesting. Family and/or friends tap the graduate on each shoulder - a la knightship - and then 'tapping' the hat three times for good luck in their future endeavors. Worth noting, all taps are not gentle as exemplified by misshapen hats covered in tape. 

Stacey took a pic of this young graduate and his mustache as it was as spectacular as the moment.

More about the capes and emblems from our friend ClaudeAI:

The badges (emblems) worn on the cape are actually one of the most personal and meaningful parts of the entire academic costume. Here's a fuller picture:

The Cape as a Personal Canvas

The badges aren't worn on a separate sash exactly — they are sewn onto the inside lower-left panel of the black academic cape (capa), which can be folded back to display them. Students have the opportunity to personalize their capes with badges they collect throughout their studies. The variety of these distinctive symbols is such that some capes become heavily loaded with them. 

What the Badges Represent

Fabric emblems personalize the cape and, by extension, the academic costume, as they concern aspects of the student's life — nationality, hometown, faculty, specialty, and more. They must be sewn in odd numbers on the right inner panel. The requirement for odd numbers is rooted in the Catholic Church's historical influence over universities. The number of buttons on the costume, the holes in the shoes, the emblems on the cape — all are odd numbers. This finds its explanation in the significance that odd numbers hold for the Catholic Church: 1 represents God; 3 represents unity and the Trinity; 7 represents perfection. 

Origins of the Emblems

The use of emblems on the cape is a tradition that dates back to the 1930s and 1940s. Over time they evolved into a kind of visual autobiography of a student's entire university journey. 

The Cape Itself

The Academic Dress of Coimbra, also known as the Capa e Batina, has deep historical roots in university tradition. It emerged as a way of distinguishing students and professors at the University of Coimbra, having evolved from the robes worn by clergymen, who in the early centuries of the university had exclusive rights to wear them. In 1957, according to university law, the academic costume became a symbol for all students to wear in order to avoid differences between social classes — all students are equal. 

The "Rasganço" — Tearing the Cape at Graduation

One of the most dramatic graduation traditions tied to the cape is the rasganço. The entire academic costume of the student is torn to pieces by family members and close friends. This tradition marks not only the end of studies but also the end of academic life in the "city of students," Coimbra. Since the badges on the cape represent a student's entire journey, this tearing is a deeply symbolic act — a joyful destruction of everything that chapter represented. So the badges are essentially a wearable scrapbook: every emblem tells a story about where the student came from, what they studied, the groups they belonged to, and the experiences they accumulated across their years at university.