"Tradition. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!" -- Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof)
I absolutely love tradition. For example, one of my favorite things about William and Mary is its deep-seated sense of history and its many traditions - such as Yule Log, Green & Gold Affair, King & Queen's Ball, singing to the President as Freshmen, Convocation, the Crim Dell Bridge, ringing the Wren Bell as a Senior, the Triathlon, etc. For me, they are what makes college exciting and part of what creates the amazingly strong sense of community at William and Mary. So, you can imagine how excited I was (and still am!) to learn about the many many traditions here at the University of St. Andrews! During Orientation, I took a tour of the campus, and my tour guide (a fourth year Classicist -- and actually, she is the self-described Classicist I mentioned back in February) explained several of the following St. Andrews traditions to us. Do I plan on partaking in them? OF COURSE!
1. Academic Gowns
Upon matriculating into the University, you are encouraged to purchase an academic gown (though not everyone does since a brand new one is about 120gbp and a second-hand one is 60gbp - yikes!). Academic gowns are like graduation robes, except thicker (made from a heavy felt-like material), red instead of black, and without a zipper in the front. They are to be worn at formal events (such as High Table, which I will explain further on), church services, the Pier Walk, etc. The red color is a symbol of one's status as an undergraduate, hence why you are given a black robe to wear when you graduate! The robe is worn different ways to represent one's academic status. First year students wear the gown fully on the shoulders like how a coat is normally worn. Second year students wear the gown so that it sits on the edge of the shoulders. Third year students wear it off of one shoulder -- off of the left shoulder if one is an Arts student and off of the right if one is a Science student. Fourth year students wear them off of both shoulders. Also, apparently it is bad luck to fasten the hooks on the front of the gown.
2. Pier Walk
Every Sunday following service in the St. Salvator's Chapel, many students (wearing their academic gowns of course!) walk from the Chapel along North Street to the harbour and then down the Pier by East Sands beach. The North side of the Pier is lined with a fairly wide wall, so according to tradition, one walks down the Pier on the lower part and then back on the top of the wall (trust me, it can get a little windy up there, especially in February!).
3. Pier Jump
While on the subject of the Pier, there is the related tradition of the Pier Jump, where you and your 20-some closest friends jump off the Pier together into the North Sea (no worries, you jump towards the Harbour, not towards open sea, otherwise it would be a really bad idea. haha and there is a staircase a few yards from the edge of the Pier, so it is really easy to climb back out). Sallies hall had a Pier Jump the very first weekend I was here (a lovely way to welcome the JSAs in my opinion!). Unfortunately, I came down with a cold the day before, and I knew that if I jumped in the North Sea with a cold I would come out with pneumonia. BUT, I have vowed that I will complete this daring feat before I leave St. Andrews (so I'm thinking Sallies needs to organized another one soon.....)!
Also, the Pier Jump isn't a complete-it-only-once activity - many of the participants in the Sallies Pier Jump in February were experienced Pier jumpers. I guess it's addicting? To get an idea of what the Pier Jump is really like, here's a few pictures of the Sallies Pier Jump on February 6th (also fun fact - there were families out walking on the Pier when this occurred. They all thought that we were crazy):
Everyone gearing up for the Big Jump!
Round 1 of jumpers swimming as fast as they can for the stairs!
Please note the "No Swimming" sign :P
Some of the spectators walking back along the top of the Pier -- note the red academic robes (among other things they are known for their warmth! :) )
4. Dousing Fourth Years with Water
In celebration of the achievements of fourth year students, it is tradition for the friends of each senior to dump a bucket of water over him/her (preferably at least one bucket per friend) as soon as he/she has finished their last Spring final exam. Why this is a tradition, I have no idea. But, I thoroughly support it and am now thinking I should dump water on my friends back at William and Mary when we finish our Spring exams next year....
5. RIP Patrick Hamilton
A very long time ago (meaning 1300's/1400's), a man named Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake for his Protestant beliefs. The place where he was burned is now marked by at "PH" in the cobblestones outside St. Salvator's Chapel. Stepping on the "PH" is supposedly bad luck -- bad luck that one can only be rid of by participating in the May Dip.
6. May Dip
May Dip is pretty much just what it sounds like -- a little dip in the North Sea in May, specifically at dawn on the 1st of May (due to Scotland's fairly Northern location, this usually occurs around 4:30 or 5 am). The majority of the student population participates in the May Dip every year -- gathering on one of the three local beaches. May Dip is said to be the only way to cleanse oneself of the academic sins (tardiness, turning in assignments late, not doing well on exams, and the like) as well as non-academic sins, namely stepping on the "PH" in front of St. Salvator's Chapel.
May Dip really reminds me of William and Mary's Christmastime tradition of the Yule Log Ceremony, where we throw holly on the Yule Log burning in the Great Hall to cast off any bad "karma", if you will, and ensure that we do well on exams.
7. High Table
High Table has to be second favorite tradition here at the University (second only to May Dip of course :) ). Most dormitories hold High Table a few times throughout the semester, but Sallies, as another sign of how AWESOME it is, has High Table every Thursday! What is High Table you ask? Well, in the Sallies Dining Room, there is one table that sits up on a platform at the head of the hall. Usually this table is reserved for the wardens, but every Thursday 18 students are asked to join them and an honored guest for dinner (usually a faculty member, etc). High Table is a formal event, so academic gowns are definitely part of the attire (though not mandated since not everyone owns one), and even those who are not invited to High Table take the opportunity to wear their academic gowns to dinner anyways. For those attending High Table, the evening begins with sherry served in the reception room. After some socializing with the guest of honor, the wardens lead the students into the dining hall (which seriously looks somewhat like the Great Hall out of Harry Potter). Everyone else in the hall stands as they enter and remains standing until those at High Table have found their seats and one of the Head Wardens has said grace (in Latin!) over the meal. Those at High Table are then served their meals (the rest of us commonfolk have to go through the serving line to get our dinner haha), complete with an abundant supply of wine. After eating and drinking their fill, High Table participants retire to the reception room for port, more socializing, and a short talk given by the guest of honor. Many students then join the Wardens and the guest of honor at the Byre Theater for a jazz concert, but it is not a required part of High Table.
I have yet to be invited to a High Table, though I hope I will be soon!! The semester is only half over, so I figure that I still have some time to receive my invitation (which they hand-deliver -- how cool is that?!) Other halls may do High Table differently than Sallies, I'm not really sure, but, obviously, I think I am a bit partial to Sallies' traditions... :)
8. Tea Time!
When I first came to Scotland, I thought that it would be absolutely fantastic if Sallies had some sort of tea party / tea-drinking event, and lo and behold, we did! The very first Sunday that I was here (ironically the same day as Sallies' Pier Jump :) ), the Hall Committee hosted a hall-wide tea time to welcome us all back to (or, for the JSAs, simply to) the University. The following Sunday the Wardens hosted another tea as a way to get to know them better. Personally, I think that there should be more tea parties. Before I went abroad, I was a staunch non-tea-drinker (which is ironic given that half of my family really enjoys drinking tea). However, after experimenting with a few sugar + tea combinations at the first tea party, I can honestly say that I now enjoy drinking tea!
Much love to everyone at home!
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