Hanging of the Greens
Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery
Erie, Pennsylvania
The Hanging of the Greens ceremony, Penn State Behrend's oldest tradition, is held annually on a Friday evening in early December at Behrend Chapel in Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery.
All faculty, staff, students, and Behrend community members are welcome to attend. Attendees are reminded to dress warmly and wear winter-appropriate shoes (the path can sometimes be icy).
Participants include Penn State Behrend students and senior administrators.
This annual event has taken place since December 1948 in honor of the Behrend family. Ernst, Mary, Harriet, and Warren Behrend are interred at Behrend Chapel in Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery, where they are remembered each year in a candlelit ceremony of remembrance, singing, and thankfulness to the family that made Penn State Behrend possible.
Hanging of the Greens is sponsored by The Smith Chapel and Student Leadership and Involvement.