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Dressed up for dancing
When President John Stewart Bryan started his Christmas celebration in 1934, a ball was held at the conclusion of the Yule Log ceremony. Beginning in 1935, faculty members rented 18th century costumes to wear for the ball. The tradition lasted until 1939.
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As the holiday season approaches, carolers will warm up their voices, gifts will be exchanged and other school traditions will be repeated. One such tradition is the College's Yule Log Ceremony.
The ceremony, organized by Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa, will take place Saturday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. in the Wren courtyard. Students will once again toss their holly sprigs into Wren's Great Hall fireplace.
President Tim Sullivan will assume his customary role as Santa Claus in his reading of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and Vice President for Student Affairs Sam Sadler will recite his parody, "The Night After Finals."
To kindle the holiday fervor, both the Gentlemen of the College and the William and Mary Choir will serenade participants with holiday carols.
"We mainly sing traditional Christmas carols," senior Samantha Schrier, president of the Choir, said. "It's a really nice way to kick off the holiday season."
Doug Bunch, vice president of ODK, and Kristin Lion, vice president of Mortar Board, are working together this year to decorate the Christmas tree on the porch of the Wren Building with paper doves. Prior to the event, the doves will be made available at tables in the University Center, on which "people can write messages of peace," according to Bunch. These will also be available the night of the event.
"It will give the College a time to think in the wake of Sept. 11, and it's another chance for people to reflect about the holiday spirit," Bunch said.
Because the Yule Log ceremony has always been linked to a philanthropy project, this year, students are asked to donate loose change. The proceeds will go to AVALON, a center for women and children.
Readings of different holiday traditions will be shared with students, creating a culturally diverse community event, according to Bunch. Readings on Ramadan, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah, as well as a gospel reading, will take place.
The Yule Log tradition has been alive at the College since 1934, when President John Stewart Bryan sought to enliven the student body with his passion for festivities.
His seasonal celebration was weeklong, culminating in a party held in the Wren building. The celebration was so extravagant that the Alumni Gazette called it the "greatest party since colonial days." The final event would eventually become today's Yule Log Ceremony.
In the current ceremony, students and faculty touch a passing yule log with holly sprigs. The log is then placed in a fire and as the participants walk past, they toss in their holly. By discarding the twigs into the fire people cast away the past year's worries and start a new year with a cleansed spirit.
Following the log-burning, the College community has cider and cookies together, but during Bryan's presidency the partying continued throughout the night. By the second year of the holiday bash, faculty members even dressed up in 18th-century garb for the ball that ensued.
Yet, the burning of the Yule Log can be traced further than the College's roots, back to pagan festivals that celebrated the winter solstice.
The log, according to J.C. Cooper's "The Dictionary of Festivals" emanated "protective magic to ward off the evil powers of darkness" and encouraged a plentiful coming year.
The College ceremony, more lighthearted than religious, is a way for the community to come together to celebrate a semester gone by, the beginning of a new year and the midpoint of final exams.
"Yule Log is one of the many traditions we have here at William and Mary," Bunch said. "What makes it unique is that if you look at each aspect of the Yule Log, they all have to do with different interests on campus, and this event gives everyone a chance to get together as a group."
Many students by now have realized that the College retains many traditions. However, for Bunch, the Yule Log Ceremony is one of the most treasured.
"Not every college has their president dress up as Santa ... it's a unique tradition and it brings unity to the College," Bunch said.
Variety Editor Belle Penaranda contributed to this article.
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The Grinch's sidekick
According to Vice President of Student Affairs Sam Sadler, when Dr. Thomas Graves was president of the College in the '70s, he'd bring his chihuahua with a twig tied to the top of his head to the ceremony to be Max, the Grinch's sidekick.
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