1923
Candle Light Ceremony Established
The first Candle Light Ceremony was held in 1923, inviting new students to join the Religious Association or YWCA, which, with the Athletic Association, organized most campus activities.
First-year students, dressed in white, paraded into the chapel and were given candles. Throughout the years, the religious connotations associated with the Candlelight Ceremony have diminished. Instead, first-year students are introduced to College traditions, songs and ghost stories.
Following the chapel program, first-year students line up around Peacock Pond and light candles. The candles appear again the night before commencement when seniors gather around the pond again to light their candles one more time and float them in the water.
