Winter Carnival has crept up on us, and we are once again reminded that gone are the days of the Psi Upsilon keg-jumping contest, Winter Carnival Queen and towering snow sculptures. Though these traditions have since passed us by, I know many students who still carry with them an idealized image of what the weekend should hold, referential and nostalgic for a past they, or even some of their parents who went to Dartmouth, never experienced.
I won’t blame them — it’s fun to indulge in the idea that our little college once hosted the “Mardi Gras of the North,” so famous that it inspired a movie, written in part by F. Scott Fitzgerald. But, maybe all this wound licking is just making it worse. In the years since the weekend has transformed from a bang into a blip, few have offered ideas on how to revive such festivities, and a return to form is largely considered to be culturally untenable.
The realization I’ve come to about this weekend is that, like many weekends at Dartmouth, it is up to you to make your own fun. Our modern era has emptied out many of the traditions that used to define the identity of the College, and many others like it. Instead of dwelling on this snowy and hedonistic past, which is also likely embellished and invented, we should instead focus on forging our own rituals, no matter how small.
A few days ago, three of my friends and I buzzed from Microbrews to Murphy’s to my sorority house, finally ending up at my apartment. Though not much different than many other nights I’ve had at Dartmouth, a late Monday escapade feels like a celebration of the spirit of Winter Carnival, an elevation from the tedious day-to-day. As much as it was ordinary, it felt special, and maybe that’s all we can ask the weekend to do for us.
This week in Mirror, we adventure slightly into the cold… or, in one case, colds. One writer investigates the relationship between the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab and the Dartmouth students and professors who conduct research there. After getting sick, once again, during her senior winter, another writer reflects on how termly sickness has been a mainstay of her college experience. Then, we shift our focus back to Dartmouth at large to spotlight students who are choosing to graduate early.
Happy Winter Carnival, Dartmouth. Stay safe, stay warm, but don’t forget to make some fun.
