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Campus Life - Letters from Dartmouth College
Homecoming Weekend
By Yoko Kubo
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卒業生が集まる大学祭
ダートマス大学の秋学期最大のイベントは、大学祭が開催される"Homecoming weekend" です。この期間中、各地から卒業生が大学に集まり、パレードや同窓会が催されて旧交を温める機会になっています。また、新入生が中心に参加し、大学の中心にある芝生 Green でたかれる「大きなたき火」も見逃せない行事です。
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新入生が中心となってキャンパスの芝生の上に bonfire の骨踏みを作る
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Homecoming weekend is one of the college's oldest traditions and no doubt the highlight of the Dartmouth fall term. It centers on a home football match where the Dartmouth team, the Big Greens, plays against a team from another university. This year's match was with Harvard, the defending Ivy League champion, who sadly defeated us 31-26 and dashed our hopes of a fourth win this season.
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パレードなど一連の行事の後に火がともされた bonfire
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But Homecoming is not all about winning and losing. It is a time to celebrate the school spirit and initiate the freshmen. Not only does Homecoming bring together the entire Dartmouth community and residents of the town of Hanover, but it also sees hundreds of alumni flocking back "home" from all over the nation to reunite with their peers.
Although traditions have varied slightly across the years, the custom of building a huge bonfire in the center of the Green has been maintained, and it is the undeniable focus of the weekend. In the past, the freshmen would build a structure with as many tiers as their class year (the year when they will graduate), but safety regulations now limit the number of tiers to 60, built so that it collapses in on itself. The freshmen decorate the structure with their names and a large wooden sign displaying their class year at the very top, giving it almost the appearance of a Christmas tree.
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伝統にのっとって bonfire の周りを走る新入生たち
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On the Friday of Homecoming weekend, before the lighting of the fire, there is a parade around the campus, headed by the president of the college followed by banner-bearing alumni in their cars. (This year's Homecoming Parade featured classes from as far back as 1932!) After the alumni come the sports teams and the marching band, and finally, the legendary Freshman Sweep which picks up freshmen as it passes their dorms, culminating in an enormous mob decked out in green. When the bonfire is finally lit, freshmen run around it as many times as the number of their class year, a tradition that was started in 1904 and is thankfully not strictly enforced.
As with any large-scale event, trouble is inevitable. The police are a noticeable presence, and ambulances and fire engines are on standby in case anything goes wrong. One of the police's main jobs is to keep the freshmen from trying to touch the bonfire or from pulling some other equally crazy and usually alcohol-fueled stunt. This may seem like an absurd thing to do, but with pressure from screaming upperclassmen and the bewitching effects of a blazing fire, a little stupidity is not uncommon. In fact, "touching the bonfire" has become an integral part of the Homecoming tradition, along with "rushing the field" (running across the field) during the football match - despite being illegal by New Hampshire law after such incidents as in 1985 when the class of 1989 trampled an elderly lady in a wheelchair.
It's true that there is something fascinating and enchanting about the Dartmouth bonfire. I remember looking up at the flames set against the snowy backdrop, feeling an almost eerie sense of tranquility despite the chaos raging around me. The immense heat from the fire produces a strange effect where half your face is burning while the other half is frozen, and there is a rain of ash that quickly covers you from head to toe.
The rest of the weekend consists of other sports matches, concerts, class reunions and parties. To be honest, I am not an avid football fan (I still don't understand the sport) and am always too tired from the festivities to go and cheer on the home team. For me, Homecoming consists of the bonfire, and it is this that makes me understand why alumni return to Dartmouth to reunite year after year.
Shukan ST: Dec. 13, 2002
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