NMH Magazine : Spring 2004

History Lesson

For many decades, Northfield seniors “passed the light” to juniors in a symbolic ritual. It began as early as 1925, when seniors arranged themselves on the steps of Sage Chapel for an end-of-the-year sing and passed lit candles to rising seniors.

By the 1950s, the nighttime May tradition was known as Lantern Service. At Sage Chapel, seniors picked up Japanese lanterns illuminated by flashlights, then marched onto the hill behind the chapel. Wearing white dresses and following directions worthy of a Busby Berkeley musical, they sang “Northfield Lights” and formed the letters “N” and “S.” Juniors paralleled the formation and received the lanterns from seniors.

The tradition was extinguished when Northfield and Mount Hermon merged in 1971, but was relit in 2002. That year, at an all-school meeting in May, NMH seniors passed lit candles to the junior class. It has now become a tradition, as Georgina Murata ’03 described in her speech at the 2003 Lantern Service: “Here, the NMH light will continue. Here it is cherished….Add something to it yourselves.”