Freshman construction of the bonfire

Title: Freshman construction of the bonfire

Informant info: Savannah Moss is a current member of the class of 2018. She is 19 years old and is from Palo Alto, CA. Her father attended Dartmouth and was a member of the class of 1988. On campus, she is involved with the Student Organization Accountability Board, Alpha Phi, Wellness Center, Rockefeller Center, and Tucker Center.

Type of lore: Customary, traditional, ritual

Language: English

Country of Origin: United States

Social / Cultural Context: Savannah was interviewed alone at Dartmouth College. She is a current student and has experienced the bonfire ritual twice (her freshman year and her sophomore year.

Item: Each year, the freshman class constructs the bonfire that they will be running around during the homecoming ceremony. A committee of freshmen including the class council president oversees the construction of the bonfire. Although the freshmen used to build the bonfire entirely by themselves, a construction company now does much of the manual labor. Different clubs, teams, and organizations paint panels with their logos and symbols on them that go into building the fire. A wooden number of the class year goes at the top of the fire.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

bonfire-kids-590

Transcript (if verbal lore):

What special traditions are related to the bonfire? Running around the fire 100+ your class year times, or your class year +1 if you can’t run that far, is a big tradition. Someone in the class has to touch the fire. There is also a freshman sweep where you walk around and pick up all the freshmen in their dorms. It’s led by the class that graduated 50 years earlier. Having alumni come back is also a big part of homecoming. Everyone wears class jerseys, and freshmen have to build the bonfire. Freshmen are required to build the bonfire. The class council and a committee is responsible for building it in the days leading up to homecoming. Student organizations make little painted signs that are part of the fire. They paint team logos and things on them. The class council is responsible for building it but it’s mainly just a construction company now. At the very top is the number of the class.

Are there any stories you heard before/after homecoming about things that happened? I heard from my dad about the bonfire. My mom thought it was crazy and seemed pagan. My aunt also went here so I heard stories about when my mom tried to visit my aunt during the bonfire and then got lost. A lot of people touched the fire because S&S and Hanover Police each thought the other was responsible for catching them.

Where did you hear these stories? I heard them from my parents and my trip leader. I also heard things from other upperclassmen and other freshmen.

Informant’s comments: Informant joked about the fact that even though the freshmen are technically required to build the bonfire, a construction company now does most of the work.

Collector’s comments: Informant has experienced the bonfire twice, as she is currently a sophomore. She also gained knowledge about the ritual from her father who also attended Dartmouth.

Tags/Keywords: bonfire, freshmen, teams, clubs, panels, class year

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *