The Bedan Tradition

Every year we welcome a new batch of freshmen in our respective colleges/universities,

but what exactly makes San Beda different from the other tertiary schools?

The fact that we have a red baptism.

If you haven’t heard of this well you might know it as integration rites. If you still haven’t heard of this, well darling you’ve been living under a rock. San Beda College, a college that was started in 1901 by Benedictine monks and first started as an all boys school. Even before letting girls into their den, the red lions of San Beda have always held an integration for the freshmen of the new school year, and every year it gets even more exciting.

This year, San Beda made it different, more exciting, more fun filling the one 4 days before the final day where the red baptism occurs and after that you can finally call yourself a true red blooded bedan. Being a red lion myself, I too have undergone this integration and I can say, the feeling after the red baptism is really inexplicably amazing. The integration lasts a whole week, with the first four days having a themed ensemble which separates the freshies and the upper classmen, within the first four days, upper classmen are free to integrate the freshies however they wish. I still remember being told to perform the Indian Yell and do 5 jumping jacks during my integration.

On the fifth day, the call time is at the ungodly hour of 6:30 in the morning, then the red baptism officially begins at 7. We assemble in the grandstand according to course and section, then we are led around the whole vicinity of San Beda passing through various obstacles. Honestly speaking, at first I didn’t understand the whole point of this integration thing and the Red Baptism, till it dawned on me.

This whole integration week develops a true blooded Bedan, the costumes develop resourcefulness, and the red baptism develops “”walang arte”” attitude that Bedans are well-known for.

“”Ang Bedista hindi maarte. They learn how to adapt not not be fazed by the little things.”” -The Mendiola Files”