13 min
6
03.27.2025
College is a strange and wonderful place with a mix of late-night cramming, questionable cafeteria food, and friendships that survive group projects. But beyond the academics and social chaos, universities worldwide have cultivated traditions so bizarre, so utterly ridiculous, that you’d swear they were completely made up, except they’re not.
Some of these customs have been around for centuries, passed down like sacred rites of passage, while others have been around for only a short time, born out of pure student mischief.
They range from wild, adrenaline-fueled stunts to those that make you suspicious of the campus drinking water. Whether it’s rooted in history, rivalry, or plain absurdity, these traditions all share one thing — an unshakable commitment to school spirit.
So, if you thought your school had strange traditions, you better buckle up. You’re about to discover wonderfully weird student rituals that prove higher education isn’t just about books; it’s about discovering team spirit, embracing the unexpected, laughing in the face of logic, and occasionally running around in little to no clothing.
1. Primal Scream, Harvard
Harvard University has a strange tradition called the "Primal Scream" that occurs right before the final exam period commences during the spring and fall semesters. It is held at midnight on the last day of the study break, a period dedicated to reading before the finals.
The main reason for the Primal Scream is to give students a means to relieve themselves of the pressure and stress they experience while preparing for their final exams. Once the clock strikes midnight, the students gather around the Harvard Yard wearing various outfits, with many students choosing to run around in their underwear.
They then take the opportunity to let out a hearty scream to release the stress and tension. The Primal Scream is often followed by outbreaks of streaking, although the later tradition seems to date from the 1990s and not the 1700s, as some reports claim.
Streaking itself is a time-honored ritual at numerous US universities. George William Crump was, in fact, the first American college student to get arrested for streaking in 1804 at present-day Washington and Lee University.
Despite his youthful indiscretion, Crump still went on to serve as a US Congressman and later became the US ambassador to Chile!
2. Night Climbing: Cambridge and Oxford
Night climbing began in Cambridge in the late 1800s. It is the sport of secretly scaling the university’s and other public buildings. The ritual was published under the pseudonym "Whipplesnaith" in 1937 in Noel Howard Symington’s The Night Climbers of Cambridge, forever immortalizing it.
Although evidence exists of night climbing at Oxford in the 1920s, Cambridge students are proud that their urban mountaineering traditions never became common in "the other place."
Several books were published in the 1960s and 1970s as manuals for climbing more modern buildings and routes after the tradition seemed to fade and gave it a new breath of life.
Climbers mainly target the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, even though it is 94 ft (29 meters) high. In recent years, Santa hats, toilet seats, and traffic cones, among other items, have been removed from the building, showing that climbers still attempt the routes set by those who came before.
It is worth mentioning that removing such items is not cheap for the college.
3. Ascension Day, Lincoln College, Oxford
Every year on ascension day, when Christians believe Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, students of Lincoln gather on top of the college’s tower to throw pennies down at a group of local children who gather in one of the university’s squares.
This tradition is a form of charity that is said to have originated in the 15th century, a time when it was a much darker event. It is believed that the students would heat up the pennies before throwing them down at the kids.
Apparently, the intent was to teach children against the sin of greed, as the ones with the most pennies would be the most burned.
During the same ceremony, Lincoln students can also be seen marching through the middle of Oxford and hitting the boundary markers with 6ft-long (2-meter) wooden sticks, a practice known as "beating the bounds" to mark out the ancient boundaries between St. Michael and St. Mary the Virgin University Church at the North Gate.
Brasenose College members can also enter Lincoln College on Ascension Day and enjoy a small glass of ale.
This ale is a specially brewed beer that Lincoln students add bitter-tasting ivy to prevent students of Brasenose from taking advantage of their hospitality.
4. Teekkari Dipping — Finland
In Finland, the term "Teekkari" refers to students of technology and engineering, who are known for their vibrant and distinctive student culture. One of the most exhilarating traditions among Teekkari students is the Teekkari Dipping (Teekkarikaste), which takes place during the Vappu celebrations on May 1st. This event symbolizes the students' transition from freshmen to esteemed members of the academic community.
The dipping ceremony varies by city:
- Tampere: A crane lifts students and plunges them into the frigid waters of the Tammerkoski rapids.
- Lappeenranta: Participants slide into Lake Saimaa via a waterslide.
- Oulu: Students take a plunge into the Oulujoki River.
- Jyväskylä: The ceremony involves a dip in Lake Jyväsjärvi.
In Jyväskylä, the festivities commence with students adorning the statue of Uno Cygnaeus with a graduation cap. Following this, they proceed to Mattilanniemi beach to witness the Teekkari Dipping ceremony. On May Day, students dressed in overalls gather for a picnic on Harju hill, celebrating their academic journey and the arrival of spring.
This tradition is a testament to the Finnish students' resilience and communal spirit, marking their academic milestones with a refreshing and unifying plunge into the nation's waters.
5. The Time Ceremony, Merton College, Oxford
Barry Press of Merton College only started this relatively modern tradition in 1971, and it occurs once a year.
They wanted to commemorate the end of a three-year experimental period during which the UK remained on British Summer Time, one hour ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), for the whole year.
For the event, students wear their academic dress (sub-fusc), take a glass of port, and march around the Fellows’ Quad counterclockwise at 2:00 AM. By the way, that means they walk backward. It is an absurd but also lovely sight to behold.
The ceremony might appear pointless, but its inventor cheekily points out that Britain’s clocks have always transitioned to GMT every summer they have marched backwards. I mean, we can’t argue that. The man is right.
Today, measures are undertaken to ensure that only members of the college can get in. To make the exercise even safer, given the dodgy nature of walking backward while drinking port, some students volunteer to point out tripping hazards and guarantee that no glass is brought in. All attendants must drink out of plastic cups.
Mr. Press is the self-styled "Keeper of the Watch’ who returns every year. He is so into the tradition that he did not change his Bachelor’s Degree to a Master’s (which was his right) because the bachelor’s gown variant has a white fur rim that is easier to see at night.
6. Dragon Day, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Every year in March, Cornell’s University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning first-year students wage war against the school’s College of Engineering students. The first-year architecture students build a massive dragon while the engineering students design a phoenix.
The dragon and phoenix engage in battle on Dragon Day. The tradition dates back to 1901 when Willard Dickerman Straight, a student at the Ithaca, New York, school, proposed a day to celebrate the College of Architecture.
The event evolved through the decades alongside an ever-growing rivalry between the architecture and engineering students until it became Dragon Day. When the tradition began, the dragon was burned to a crisp in the Arts Quad after the scuffle between it and the phoenix.
However, the post-battle ritual no longer takes place. Over time, the scenes descended into chaos, especially in the 70s and 80s, when students would pull pranks and vandalize campus landmarks.
They also sometimes would engage in snowball fights, which made the school consider stopping the whole tradition altogether. They ended up letting it continue in a more organized manner.
7. Pterodactyl Hunt, Swarthmore College
There’s a long-standing tradition at Swarthmore College. Once every year, the "temporal boundary" between the present and 65 million years ago is weakened, releasing vicious pterodactyls and innumerable other monsters to attack the students. Just how do the students react to this threat?
They pick up foam bats and get ready to go. This event usually takes place in the beginning of October. The students come together to put on trash bags, battle monsters, and make fools of themselves while having the time of their lives.
The school's Psi Phi Club coordinates the event and ensures the student body is ready to defend the campus in a school-wide LARP (live-action role-playing). While it sounds very nerdy to some of you jocks out there, it is a chance for a large group of people to come together and let loose in a fun and wholesome way without thinking about the grueling demands of academia.
It is a unique tradition we have not encountered in many colleges, and those that probably do it have not publicized it as much as Swarthmore College.
8. Shoe Tree, Murray State University
Kentucky’s Murray State University has had a lovers’ tradition since the 1960s where "sole" mates who meet on the campus hang their shoes on the Shoe Tree. This practice is said to bring them a lifetime of good luck.
There are several rumors about how this romantic tradition began. Some say it resulted from a student leaving the halls of residence and going home without their shoes, which were then used as an art project. Still, the campus’ favorite origin story is that the ritual started as a way to show love and devotion between two people who met in college.
Lovers have been known to write their anniversaries on the shoes. It is also common practice for these couples to later return and nail a baby shoe to the tree once they start a family.
The school’s current love tree is actually its third since the first one was struck by lightning, and the second one had to be taken down due to safety concerns as its limbs began falling.
9. Yale University's Naked Run
Yale University’s naked run happens biannually during the reading period before finals kick off. Participants receive invitations via email and gather at the top of the Sterling Memorial Library stacks. They get naked, except for shoes and a face mask, and run out to cheering spectators.
It is unknown exactly when this started, but it has been happening for many decades and continues the streaking craze that hit college campuses during the late 20th century. Over time, Yale’s version became an organized event emphasizing community, body positivity, and stress relief.
Participants talk about the event as a positive and affirming atmosphere where on-lookers will bring popcorn, cheer you with words of encouragement, high-five, etc.
10. The MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Piano Drop
In 1972, the Baker House occupants at MIT had a problem. An old piano had sat around for a while, gathering dust. In a debate about what to do, they ran into a roadblock: student guidelines do not allow objects to be thrown out of dorm windows.
Exercising the intellect MIT students are known for; they cheekily reasoned that there was no reason they could not throw the piano off the roof. They were not lawyers but a cursory check of the guidelines confirmed there was nothing to restrict throwing it off the roof.
So, up they went, and a tradition was born. Today, the legacy of Charlie Bruno, the mastermind behind the drop, lives on. One of the most notable ones is the birth of a new measurement, the "Bruno,’ which measures the volume of the dent left by the drop.
The drop has been moved to coincide with drop day, the last day to drop classes before the spring semester. There is coordination and safety, and the piano used is always broken and irreparable.
11. Barnard College's Big Sub
Every fall since 2000, Barnard College has hosted the iconic "Barnard Big Sub" event, a tradition where students and professional chefs create an 850-foot-long chain of sandwiches. The "Big Sub’ has become one of the college’s most cherished traditions, where students gather to eat and celebrate their community in the most delicious manner imaginable.
Although it is difficult to pinpoint this tradition’s exact origin, there’s no denying how it has grown into a massive well-anticipated event.
In 2022, the Barnard Big Sub was filled with tuna, kosher options, chicken salad, turkey, veggies, and more; it stretched an impressive 750 feet. Its preparation took 48 hours, but the students devoured it in minutes.
This tradition brings the entire campus together and feeds the body and spirit.
12. Tuna Singing – Spain & Latin America’s Student Serenaders
La Tuna is one of those student traditions that makes you pause and smile. It started back in 13th-century Spain, when university students would sing in the streets to earn food or shelter. Over time, it turned into something much bigger—a mix of music, humor, and tradition that’s still alive today in both Spain and Latin America.
These student groups, called tunas, blend old-school charm with playful performance. They sing in public, show off their capes, and celebrate student life with every note.
Here’s what makes Tuna singing so memorable:
- 🎓 The Outfits: Students dress in Renaissance-style gear—think doublets, tights, and capes decked out in ribbons and patches, each telling its own story.
- 🎶 The Music: With guitars, lutes, and tambourines in hand, they sing songs full of love, wit, and cheeky energy.
- 📍 The Setting: From university events to street festivals, tunas pop up where people least expect, always drawing a crowd.
- 🤹 The Vibe: It’s part concert, part comedy, and totally full of heart. A weird, captivating form of street theatre.
- 🌍 The Reach: It may have started in Spain, but Tuna culture is now alive and kicking in places like Mexico, Colombia, and Peru.
Though traditionally male, many universities now have female and mixed-gender tunas, evolving the tradition for modern times while keeping its quirky heart intact.
In a world obsessed with going viral, La Tuna is proof that the best traditions are the ones that endure — not because of social media, but because they’re genuinely fun, ridiculously charming, and full of soul.
13. Gaokao Post-Exam Destruction Ritual – China
After surviving China’s notoriously difficult national college entrance exam — the Gaokao — students across the country partake in a cathartic ritual of destroying their study materials. In cities like Beijing and Shanghai, students burn textbooks, shred notes, or throw them out of windows in joyous celebration.
In some schools, this has evolved into an organized event with music, performances, and a shared sense of liberation. It’s not exactly sanctioned by the authorities, but many teachers turn a blind eye.
For students, it’s a satisfying and absurd release of the immense pressure they’ve faced for years.
The Oddities Never End
There are hundreds if not thousands of schools that have perhaps even weirder and more intriguing traditions. But whether you’re tossing pennies, running in the nude, or letting go of a piano from the roof of a building, these rituals remind us that life is not all lectures and exams.
Sometimes, it is about the spontaneous and unbridled fun that comes from letting loose and doing something crazy.
What are some of the quirkiest or most fascinating college traditions you’ve come across or taken part in? Share your stories in the comments below!
