Primal Scream (Harvard)
Encyclopedia
Primal Scream is a tradition at Harvard University
that forms part of the streaking at educational institutions. At midnight on the last night of reading period and before final exams begin, students streak
through the Old Yard
. The streakers begin in the north end of The Yard and generally make one lap around, but the more adventurous sometimes aim for more. This is done both semesters, even during New England
winters.
Some of the streakers will "dress up" in capes and masks, or top hat
and tails
, but their genitalia are still exposed. The walkways through which students run are lined with spectators and the Harvard University Band
plays beforehand to excite the crowd.
Before it became a "night when the whole student body comes together to gawk at just that" it was a night with a closer association to its name. Beginning in the 1960s students would congregate in the Yard or open their windows and just yell for 10 minutes. It was designed as a way to release stress. By the 1990s, the streaking aspect of the evening had become prominent. The transition from yelling to streaking is unclear. Old administrators that have been at Harvard since the 1970s speak of an earlier day of adventurous streakers. Before there was streaking in the yard began the Quad Howl—streaking in what used to be old Radcliffe
. These administrators of the Quad houses speculate that the change from the Quad to the Yard, which happened during their time, was because the narrow pathways of the Quad could not accommodate the increasing multitudes of people with an urge to get naked in public. The natural choice was to go join those in the Yard, giving them something to get excited about.
A small tradition of Quad Howl continues today: after each Primal Scream, a few Quad residents return to the Quad for a naked lap there.
While the records are not entirely clear, it appears that when Charles Adams, son of John Adams
and brother of John Quincy Adams
, was a student at Harvard, he and a few friends were disciplined for getting drunk and streaking naked across the Yard. He was later readmitted.
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
that forms part of the streaking at educational institutions. At midnight on the last night of reading period and before final exams begin, students streak
Streaking
Streaking is the act of running nude through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...
through the Old Yard
Harvard Yard
Harvard Yard is a grassy area of about , adjacent to Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that constitutes the oldest part and the center of the campus of Harvard University...
. The streakers begin in the north end of The Yard and generally make one lap around, but the more adventurous sometimes aim for more. This is done both semesters, even during New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
winters.
Some of the streakers will "dress up" in capes and masks, or top hat
Top hat
A top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
and tails
White tie
White tie is the most formal evening dress code in Western fashion. It is worn to ceremonial occasions such as state dinners in some countries, as well as to very formal balls and evening weddings...
, but their genitalia are still exposed. The walkways through which students run are lined with spectators and the Harvard University Band
Harvard University Band
The Harvard University Band is the official student marching band of Harvard University. The Harvard Wind Ensemble, the Harvard Summer Pops Band, and the Harvard Jazz Bands also fall under the umbrella organization of HUB....
plays beforehand to excite the crowd.
Before it became a "night when the whole student body comes together to gawk at just that" it was a night with a closer association to its name. Beginning in the 1960s students would congregate in the Yard or open their windows and just yell for 10 minutes. It was designed as a way to release stress. By the 1990s, the streaking aspect of the evening had become prominent. The transition from yelling to streaking is unclear. Old administrators that have been at Harvard since the 1970s speak of an earlier day of adventurous streakers. Before there was streaking in the yard began the Quad Howl—streaking in what used to be old Radcliffe
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
. These administrators of the Quad houses speculate that the change from the Quad to the Yard, which happened during their time, was because the narrow pathways of the Quad could not accommodate the increasing multitudes of people with an urge to get naked in public. The natural choice was to go join those in the Yard, giving them something to get excited about.
A small tradition of Quad Howl continues today: after each Primal Scream, a few Quad residents return to the Quad for a naked lap there.
While the records are not entirely clear, it appears that when Charles Adams, son of John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
and brother of John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
, was a student at Harvard, he and a few friends were disciplined for getting drunk and streaking naked across the Yard. He was later readmitted.
See also
- Brown University's Naked Donut Run
- Columbia University's Naked Run
- Streaking at Dartmouth College
- Princeton University Nude Olympics
- Tuft University's Naked Quad Run
- Public nudityPublic nudityPublic nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place. It also includes nudity in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall...
- Scream therapy