Arizona State University

The Lantern Walk is one of ASU's oldest and most prominent traditions. It was started in 1917 as the symbolic passing of the torch from the senior class to the junior class. It has come to represent the coming together of students and alumni, the Sun Devils of today and those of the past. One night each fall, during Homecoming Week, students and alumni march “A” Mountain bearing candles to light the way. Once atop the butte, the school's fight song is performed and participants light the “A” as a showing of school pride and to symbolize the historic tradition that continues at ASU.

Painting the large “A” on A-mountain is a tradition among ASU students. It is painted for many different reasons and occasions. It occurs every fall when incoming freshmen paint the A and kick off welcome week. Sometimes it's painted white to signify starting the year fresh, and a lot of times it's gold to match our school colors. It was painted like the American flag after September 11. Fraternities and sororities have also been known to paint the A during rush week. Although we try not to let it happen, once in a while a rival will sneak up there and paint the A with their school colors before a football game that we play against them.

The Victory Bell, located outside the southeast entrance to Sun Devil Stadium, rings after every football game victory.

ASU football at Sun Devil Stadium holds much tradition within itself. Students, faculty, and alumni dress in gold (and sometimes maroon), and sometimes even paint their faces with the ASU symbol. It's quite a sight seeing an entire stadium dressed in gold. When our team scores a touchdown, Sparky, our mascot, is hoisted up on a platform by the male cheerleaders and does pushups to match the number of points we have. The crowd counts for him in unison. Students also throw tortillas and see if they can get them onto the field. Tailgate parties before games are common; sometimes they are right in a parking lot near the football stadium.