A Look At Common Tech Traditions
by Brittany White
The Annual Carol of Lights
The Carol of Lights started in 1959. In the 50s, it was a tradition for students to gather at Memorial Circle to sing Christmas carols and drink hot chocolate. Lights were strung; intitally there were only 5,000 lights covering campus buildings. But as time passed it got bigger.
Today more than 25,000 red, white and orange lights are used to light up the sky. The event is usually held the first Friday in Decemeber. The event sponsored by the Residence Halls Association brings more than 20,000 people visit Tech's campus to witness the spectacle. Texas Tech choir performs songs that celebrate the season and the Saddle Tramps parade around Memorial Circle with torches. Finally, the flip of a switch turns the night aglow. The lights remain on from 6 p.m. until midnight every night until January 1.
The lights are on more than six miles of wire and embellish 13 campus buildings. A single switch activates the relays to turn on all of the lights at once.