Cornell Dragon Day!

"Every year around St. Patrick’s Day, in a tradition whose origins go back more than 100 years, an enormous dragon created by the first-year architecture students parades across the campus. Accompanied by AAP students in outrageous costumes and heckled by rival engineering students, the dragon lumbers to the Arts Quad to be consumed by a bonfire. This rite of spring is one of Cornell’s best-known traditions."


I went over today to see the event and took several photos. Great fun!  While teaching for 32 years, I was not able to view this tradition, but today was fine weather and I walked from Thurston Ave. over to the Architecture school.  The crowd was modest because many students have already gone away for spring break.  But the students involved were celebratory and had a good time.


It was impressive to see the students move the dragon up the road and across campus.  You can see from some photos that much of the work was brute force of holding up the dragon that was made of steel.


In the photos, you can also see part of the new architecture building that spans the road and almost touches the Foundry.