Ringing Bells: Mountain Day
The tradition of Mountain Day is almost as old as the College itself, and was established by Mary Lyon due to her interest in walking for exercise. The first Mountain Day occurred on June 13, 1838 with 50 students hiking up Mount Holyoke (now called Skinner Mountain). The tradition took place in June until 1893 when it was changed into a fall tradition. Mountain Day was suspended only during the Civil War and the 1896 fire that destroyed the Seminary building. During World War II students continued Mountain Day by helping local farmers. The date of Mountain Day is unknown to the campus community until early morning on a beautiful day in September or October, when the chapel bells ring signaling that classes are canceled. Students spend the day climbing up Mount Skinner and eating ice cream at the top!
“Freshmen Mountain Day comes Wednesday”
Ruth Parker writes home about Mountain Day and shares some anedcotes about her campus job and exam schedule.
Pangy Day: Your great-grandmother’s May Day
The May Day celebration began in 1896 as a fundraiser for the Dramatic Club, but became an annual tradition in 1900 at President Mary Woolley’s inauguration. May Day festivities included plays on Prospect Hill, dancing around the maypole, and a pageant that presented the May Queen and her court. The pageants continued through 1949, while crowning May Queens went until 1967. For decades there were no similar spring traditions, until the 1978 introduction of Pangynaskeia Day, more commonly referred to as Pangy Day, which coincided with President Elizabeth Kennan’s inauguration. Before naming her new seminary Mount Holyoke, founder Mary Lyon considered the name Pangynaskeia, which is defined as “cultivating the total world of women—physical, intellectual, and moral.” Currently, Pangy Day is one of Mount Holyoke’s most cherished traditions. Every year, students, staff, and faculty have a picnic on the Pageant Green and enjoy an afternoon of games, crafts, bunnies, and dancing around the May Pole.
