It may seem a little early to think about the holidays, but when it comes to tradition at UNM, it's OK to be ahead of the game.
The Hanging of the Greens, one of UNM's oldest traditions, began in the 1930s.
Originally, students traveled to the Sandia Mountains to gather greens to decorate the SUB. Today, the celebration involves anywhere from 20 to 30 student organizations, and luminarias have replaced the greens.
On Friday, 20 student organizations were responsible for decorating campus areas with more than 10,000 luminarias.
Collegiate Kiwanis, a community service organization, participated in the event for the first time and was responsible for decorating Scholes Hall.
Group secretary Ali Ruff said the Hanging of the Greens is a good way to get involved on campus, because volunteer work is usually done off campus.
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"We were given the wrong directions, so we decorated the wrong side of Scholes Hall," she said. "But we moved it at the last minute, and it looked great. It is definitely something we want to participate in next year. We had a lot of fun."
Besides a tour of the luminarias complete with caroling, more than 200 participants were invited to attend a reception at President Louis Caldera's house.
The one-day event was open to the public.
This year, it got started at its traditional location in front of the Center for the Arts. During the SUB construction, participants met in front of the Alumni Chapel.
At the conclusion of the walk, carolers had the option of attending the annual presentation of a holiday wreath to Caldera and his family. The president then opened up his house for a reception.
"It's a really nice holiday event, because it's not specific to any religion," said Amanda Sims, event co-chair. "The campus looks beautiful, and the president opens up his home. It's a nice way for UNM to kick off the holidays."
Maya Oliver, president of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, said her group has decorated Smith Plaza for the past three years.
Last year, she said, the group designed a Lobo paw print. This year, UNM was written on the plaza surrounded by stars.
"Stars are kind of a hard shape to make, so we had to reposition the bags a lot to make it look good," she said. "But we were happy with the result."
Planning began in August. Student groups pay $50 for 250 luminarias. Each student organization is responsible for folding the bags, filling them with sand, lighting the candles and cleaning up the next day.
Mortar Board, a UNM honor society, has sponsored the Hanging of the Greens since the 1950s. The group is responsible for coordinating the caroling and the student groups, and also works closely with the president's office.
