|
Dec. 1, 2004
The 54th celebration
of the Hanging of the Greens
at Morningside College will be held on Tuesday,
Dec. 7, at 9:30 p.m. in the formal
lounge at Dimmitt Hall.
First celebrated
in 1950 and now one of the oldest traditions on campus, the
Hanging of the Greens is a celebration that includes burning
of a Yule log, hanging of several wreaths, and decorating
a Christmas tree. The Singing Men of Morningside, an a cappella
men's choir, will sing Christmas carols and there will be
a visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus. Refreshments will be served.
The event, sponsored by Morningside's Residence Hall Association
(RHA), is open to the public.
The ceremony begins
with the Yule log service. Each year a portion of the previous
year's Yule log is used to start the new log to symbolize
the continuity in tradition. At this time the story is told
of the ceremony's beginnings in 1925, when Agnes Doolittle,
a teacher from Spirit Lake , invited junior and senior class
women from the college to her home for the burning of a special
log her family had sent from England.
The Yule log came
to Morningside in 1949 at the hands of seven freshmen class
women from Spirit Lake , who brought pieces of the old log
to Dimmitt Hall to burn with a new log. The following year,
wreaths were hung and a tree was decorated, constituting the
first ceremonial Hanging of the Greens.
After the Yule log
is aflame and the story told, a wreath is hung by each class
as the meaning of the wreath is given. The first wreath is
hung by the senior class for the thankfulness of joy during
the holiday season. The juniors hang the second wreath, which
symbolizes the hope for eternal life. The third wreath is
hung by the sophomores for mankind's wish for peace. The freshman
class hangs the last wreath for the love God has for mankind
and the love every person has for each other.
The final part of
the ceremony is the decorating of the tree. As tradition holds,
each hall hangs on the tree an ornament that has been made
by residents from the hall. The ornaments are displayed for
four years to invoke the memories of the "families" formed
on each hall. Students from Dimmitt Hall, Roadman Hall, the
Residence Complex, and the Joan L. and Norman W. Waitt, Sr.,
Apartments and Donald E. Poppen Apartments will participate
in the hanging of the ornaments.
|
