Isn’t it wonderful how everyone seems to have their own rituals for good luck? Good luck can mean so many things to so many individuals, and that is what makes these rituals so personal. And March, the month of good luck, seemed as good a time as ever to investigate and examine the culture surrounding some of these traditions, especially ones relevant to McDaniel’s main campus.
McDaniel has a few on site rituals that individuals participate in every year to ring in some good luck of their own. The Westminster Welcome, the Candlelight Walk, and the ringing of the Old Main Bell are just some of the traditions that people can join in on.
The ringing of the Old Main Bell may be one of the more significant traditions, as every freshman does this at the beginning of their college experience to welcome fresh positivity and luck into their semester. Just as freshmen “ring in,” seniors may ring the bell to symbolize the end of an era.
The Candlelight Walk is another beautiful commemoration of the start of the new semester. Walking under the archway at McDaniel’s entryway symbolizes the hard times students face and their coming out of them into a brighter place.
Luck and superstition can sometimes go hand in hand, and McDaniel has plenty of these as well–mainly revolving around the spiritual side of Westminster and McDaniel itself. McDaniel is an older campus with numerous spirits reported to haunt the site. The exciting ghost tours done during the Halloween season will tell of some supposedly haunted areas on campus, specifically certain areas within Levine Hall and Whiteford Hall.
Personal luck rituals expand various activities. From listening to morning motivational playlists, to stating affirmations in the mirror, and to literally knocking on the wood of a tree, individuals everywhere seem to have habits that ring in good luck.
For starters, during a presentation sometimes or before performing in the school’s band in high school, I liked to wear a certain Mickey Mouse watch that my grandfather had given me, which helps remind me of my family back home supporting me. Others may take a less sentimental route, by starting their rituals at the beginning of each day as some part of a routine, something done more habitually than others. However, some of these can become more personal over time and hold various meanings to various individuals.
Luck and superstition come in many shapes and forms, many different ideologies jumbling into one to each symbolize different meanings for different people. And that is again what makes it so special yet so important to have something to hold onto the uplifting feeling the rituals bring, especially through dark times.