Wellesley College Traditions

May Day 1918

May Day, 1918, Houghton Memorial Chapel

Tradition: n. 1) the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice 2) that which is so handed down.

It's been said that a list of all the traditions at Wellesley could fill a book; these pages focus on four of the most popular and visible of them. All have helped to define the "Wellesley experience" since the last century, but in recent decades they have assumed an even greater significance: Wellesley is a vastly different place than it was when these traditions were first celebrated, encompassing a diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints unknown to the generations of women here before us. In transcending these differences, our traditions are one of the major bonds uniting us and shaping our common identity, spirit and pride as Wellesley women.