Bizarre Chants, Rituals Usher Out the Daylight

Approximately 25 members of the Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association (HRSFA) marched through the Yard in the wee hours of Sunday morning to usher out Daylight Savings Time.

The group chanted and hailed to Cronos, the Greek god of time.

"Blessed be he, Cronos...Hallelujah!" shouted Matthew B. Ender '93, the Grand High Poo-Bah of the procession, who blessed all Yardlings in his path.

"Bless Timex, Rolex and those nasty little Swatches," Ender yelled, as he delivered an impromptu speech on the steps of Widener library. The marchers, dressed all in black, raised their burning candles and repeated the Poo-Bah's words.

Carl E. Anderson '93, co-chair of the organization, led the procession, which began at Harvard Hall at 1:10 a.m., and moved in a clockwise direction around the Yard. Anderson carried a large stick with a model of a clock on top.

"Without our procession, Daylight Savings would not occur," Anderson said. Ender added, "We do it so everyone can get an extra hour of sleep. Well, everyone but us, since we're celebrating."

On the way to their final destination at the John Harvard statue, the group entered into a rivalry reminscent of a Miller Lite advertisement, alternately yelling "Tick" and "Tock." A crowd of approximately 25 amazed and intrigued students followed the group to the front of University Hall.

As the clock's hands neared 2 a.m. (or 1 a.m. again), members ran repeatedly around the statue and chanted in Latin. When the clock struck the hour, Ender threw his arms in the air and said, "We have finished before we have begun."

"I thought it was pretty cool," said onlooker Jamie W. Billett '95. "But I was a little disappointed because I thought they should have had slabs like in Monty Python, so they could whack their heads as they marched," he added.

According to Ender, one of the group's main goals is "to scare and confuse drunken freshmen." Anderson added, "We all dress in our most hiddeous black clothes so we look really frightening, and we carry the candles mainly so we look really impressive."

Anderson said the group's first celebration of time was held in the fall of 1990, although this year's event was considered far more successful because of the larger audience. However, during last spring's ceremony, "the police were extremely entertained by us...they just looked and laughed," he said.

The group promised to try to make the event a little more impressive in the spring. "This year, we just randomly set the clock on the stick on fire to make it kind of exciting," said Anderson, who offered no hints as to what the spring ritual may offer