Baylor University has many time-honored traditions that students love and adore: the Baylor Line, Christmas on Fifth and All University Sing, however, perhaps no tradition is more anticipated than Diadeloso.
Rather than tolerating the awkward senior skip day, Baylor cancels all classes for one day in the spring semester, providing fun games and entertainment on campus for students and faculty alike. This day has been declared Diadeloso or “Day of the Bear.” Diadeloso is a treasured tradition for obvious reasons. It provides students with a day off from classes right before finals, allowing them to relax and have some fun. It also alleviates a little stress during the most stressful time of the school year.
However, the importance of Diadeloso goes far beyond the obvious reasons of fun and relaxation for students and faculty. Diadeloso is important because it is a part of Baylor’s identity.
Every university has a tradition that is only associated with that university. These traditions make up the identity of those universities and are a large piece of what sets them apart.
For example, Texas A&M has Midnight Yell, a pep rally in which Aggie Yell Leaders lead the student body in the school cheers and excite the crowd for an upcoming game. Cornell University has a tradition known as Dragon Day, in which architecture students build a dragon, and parade it across campus to battle a phoenix which is built by engineering students.
Traditions such as these are unique to each school, and the students carry memories of them with pride. They allow the students to have an identity surrounding their school that goes beyond just the name of their university.
Diadeloso has become a famous tradition for Baylor University, and it adds to Baylor’s identity.
Many of my non-Baylor friends often ask me about Diadeloso. They usually say something along the lines of, “I’ve heard about that day that y’all get school off in the spring semester. It sounds awesome.” Quite a few times I’ve had friends who attend other universities ask if they could come to Diadeloso or say that they would like to try and come just to see what it is like. Once, I even saw an old friend from summer camp who attends a different school at Diadeloso with some of his friends who go to Baylor.
Thus, Diadeloso is not only a fun tradition, but a tradition that has sparked interest of people all around, and has given us, as Baylor students, just one more thing to brag about.
Baylor often has the reputation of being a stuffy, no-fun university due to some by-gone rules and incorrect rumors and opinions. However, through Diadeloso, Baylor proves that that reputation is a complete fabrication, and that we do, indeed, know how to have fun.
Thus, Diadeloso has become a part of Baylor’s identity and has helped change the perception of our university to people who are on the outside looking in. Baylor’s identity is steeped in its Christian heritage and academic excellence. Those are both things to be proud of, and Diadeloso adds a unique tradition to Baylor that helps students forge memories that they carry forever.
Diadeloso is not a college experience; it is a Baylor experience, and that is something that should make students and faculty alike proud. Although you could sum up what it means to be a Baylor Bear in many words, there are three that stand out: honor, integrity, and Diadeloso.
Hunter Hewell is a senior journalism major from Seguin. He is a reporter for the Lariat.
