Bid Day Chant

• Informant info
  • Junior in sorority at Penn State University
• Type of lore (verbal, material or customary), Genre, Subgenre
  • Verbal
• Language
  • English
• Country of Origin
  • United States
• Social / Cultural Context
  • This chant is sung at Bid Day to attract new members to the sorority and a bonding experience with all of the younger girls who have received a bid.
  • Transcript (if verbal lore)
    • “Pi Pi beta phi p-i-p-h-i Pi phi. P for I for beta phi for I just love pi beta phi”
• Informant’s comments
  • This is chanted continuously on Bid Day every year. It is a sense of pride for our sorority as we try to attract new members amongst the crowd of all sororities
• Collector’s comments
  • The sorority and the informant are kept anonymous. Similar folklore was recorded at Dartmouth.
  • This version of verbal folk is seen throughout the country as a traditional welcome into the house. Over the years and across national organizations, the location of performance, song choice, and dances used during the recruitment process vary greatly, but they all contain key reoccurring components such as full house involvement, matching outfits (potentially material lore), and synchronized dance moves (Texas A&M video below of examples of Bid Day “Door Chants” from 2014 and Colorado State University from 2009).