page_title: Calotte (Belgium)
section_title: Symbolism
hierarchical_section_title: Calotte (Belgium) / Symbolism
caption_attribution_description: English: Belgian law students at Louvain University (around 1921-1922) five of them wearing the "calotte" skull-cap. Français&#160;: Etudiants en droit de l'Université de Louvain dans les années 1921-1922, dont cinq portant la calotte, couvre-chef étudiant. De droite à gauche (assis): Jean Thevenet, Xavier Carton de Wiart, Jean Duvieusart, (Debouts) Roger Pirson, Jean Morelle, Pierre Connesson, Pierre Misselyn, Joseph Petit, Alex Lejeune, Albert Pierrard, Albert Nyssens.
context_page_description: The calotte is a skullcap worn by students at Catholic universities in Belgium. It originates from the skullcap worn by the Papal Zouave regiment around 1860.
  The calotte is cylindrical, made from velvet and astrakhan. The color of the top is bordeau red for the universities of Brussels, Leuven, Louvain-la-Neuve and Namur, white for the university of Ghent and emerald for the university of Liège.
  In the front of the calotte are stripes representing the Belgian flag 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. In addition to that, a number of official and personal pins will be added to the calotte, all representing facts about its owner. Examples include:
  Official position in a student organisation
  Hobbies and occupations
  Character
context_section_description: 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 "fuck" 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 ...
caption: Belgian law students at Catholic University of Leuven (around 1921-1922) five of them wearing the "calotte" skull-cap.
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