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Students in the class of 2000 are
poised to turn over a new leaf. But before they do, they'll pay
homage to a very old one. The laurel leaf, made famous in antiquity,
debuted in Mount Holyoke's Ivy Day activities one hundred years ago.
At that time, two wreaths of laurel and forget-me-nots were placed on
the gate in front of College founder Mary Lyon's grave as the Mount
Holyoke women sang "Holyoke, Tried and True." In 1902 the women
carried a laurel chain. Over the years, the laurel that
became a regular part of commencement-related activities--the College
has always used mountain laurel to symbolize the bay laurel used
during ancient times--was periodically replaced by other adornments,
such as floral bouquets, ribbons, and daisy chains. On at least a
couple of occasions, laurel customs at MHC were suspended due to
mountain laurel conservation efforts in Massachusetts. But today the
evergreen is thriving, and on Saturday, May 20, more than 480
graduating seniors, wearing traditional white dresses, will march in
garlanded splendor, linked shoulder to shoulder by elegant laurel
chains. A symbol of honor, achievement and glory, laurel
was, in ancient times, said to communicate the spirit of prophecy and
poetry, and thus the plant became a fitting crown for prophetic
priestesses and poets. Laurel under the pillow, it was believed,
could help one acquire inspiration. Among other superstitions, bay
laurel was said to fend off lightning. As for the white
dresses--here at MHC they symbolize solidarity among women and honor
the memory of the suffragettes, who wore white when campaigning for
women's right to vote. Along with the white dresses and laurels,
Mount Holyoke's commencement traditions also include the singing of
"Bread and Roses" at Mary Lyon's grave. The song was sung by textile
workers in a famous mill strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912.
The canoe sing, dating back to 1911, is one of the College's most
popular commencement traditions. Originally called the "Senior
Serenade," it takes place on Upper Lake in the evening, after
Baccalaureate. A dozen canoes, illuminated with lanterns, move in
changing formations as paddling seniors perform a rehearsed program
of songs for families and friends on shore. The laurel
parade itself is, of course, the central event during which the
graduating class is celebrated by alumnae and guests. The president
of the tenth reunion class (this year it's Leanna M. Ampola '90)
serves as parade marshal and leads the marchers, who begin at Woolley
Circle and ultimately weave around Mary Lyon's grave. The other
classes follow the marshal in descending order, trailed by the
graduates of 2000--the year's most relieved and proud Lyons,
launching a brand-new century of achievement for MHC women.
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