In annual ritual, Lowell House residents rise early to greet May Day
There are very few reasons that the average college student, other than an athlete or ROTC recruit, would voluntarily wake up and leave the comfort of a cozy bedroom at the ungodly hour of 5:30 a.m. Each year on the first of May, however, students from Lowell House are up and out. Just as the sun is rising, they coalesce at the John Weeks Footbridge on the Charles River for festivities led by their faculty dean, currently in the person of Diana Eck, professor of comparative religion and Indian studies and Fredric Wertham Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society. Donning their finest formalwear, Lowellians welcome the new month with waltzing, toasts of champagne and sparkling cider, and fresh strawberries. The first of May is a day of festivity worldwide for many reasons. In modern times, promoted by the international labor movement, the day has been designated International Workers’ Day and observed by...