Well, tonight will see the annual practice of a particularly devilish Stanford tradition: Full Moon on the Quad.
In most of our minds, the only cultural reference we have to full moons involves lycanthropy (that’s a 50 cent word referring to werewolves).
At Stanford, Full Moon means something completely different (and I’m not sure the metaphor of man turning into beast is entirely inappropriate).
For Stanford students, Full Moon on the Quad is a major cultural initiation: freshmen head to the quad and get royally smooched (kissed within an inch of their lives) by seniors. As you might imagine, the evening has more than a hint of debauchery about it.
Here’s an excerpt from the Stanford Daily: In theory the very idea of it is quite romantic — lovers kissing under the gentle moonlight amidst a sea of endless stars, a beautiful church hangs as a backdrop, and all around you frolicking naked people dance drunkenly to techno music. Well, on second thought, Full Moon on the Quad is devoid of all romance. (full article)
FMOTQ is a true Stanford tradition… and one more evidence that Stanford needs Jesus!
There are lots of web links related to this festival, including a poem, tame photo galleries (here’s one and here’s another), and a mildly humorous essay entitled Got Mono?.