- Homecoming Participation
- Informant Data: Joseph Mears is a 20-year-old, male, sophomore (’18) who attends Dartmouth College. He was born in Cambridge, London, and he now resides in Hanover, New Hampshire during the school year.
- Type of lore: Verbal; Genre: superstition
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: US
- Contextual Data: Joseph Mears attends Dartmouth College and has participated in homecoming for each of his two years as a student.
- Item: Every year during homecoming, participation in the activities surrounding the ritual have many superstitions associated with them. If the freshmen class does not run around the fire or if one person in their class does not touch the fire, they are considered the worst class ever, and told that they will be cursed throughout their Dartmouth careers. If they do run around the bonfire 100 plus their class year number of times, their class will have good luck during their Dartmouth careers.
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- Informant’s comments: This superstition is a way that the upperclassmen show support or disapproval
- Collector’s comments: This superstition insures that the freshmen class participates in the homecoming rituals and complete their incorporation into the Dartmouth community. The bonfire ritual is a very important aspect of the Dartmouth community, and it is almost as if everyone has to complete this ritual or they will not be considered a true member of the community. This superstition helps facilitate the bonfire ritual.
- Superstition, homecoming participation
Homecoming Participation
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