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The tradition started in the fall of 2003, thanks to Multnomah alumnus and former RA Devin Chapman. Every November 5th, the men of Multnomah Bible College celebrate the sacred holiday “Cinco De Mustache.” Ok, it’s not really sacred, but Cinco De Mustache does take more preparation than most holidays. During the month of October, men of Multnomah abstain from shaving to allow the maximum amount of facial hair to grow…

…raw material that lays an important foundation for a truly impressive mustache.

The Shaving Party
On the night before November 5th, they hold a “shaving party” where they trim away excess facial hair in order to sculpt the perfect ’stache.

It is customary, after forming their mustaches, to sing the Cinco De Mustache song outside the women’s dorm:

Aye, yai, yai, yai
Cinco De Mustache
The men who are hip
They wear hair on their lip
They don’t use a razor
They don’t give a rip
It grows and grows and grows
So let your mustache show
Aye, yai, yai, yai
Cinco De Mustache (2x)

The Big Day
On Cinco De Mustache, participants (and some faculty) all sit together in the JCA for the “Gentleman’s Lunch,” raise their glasses for the “Milk Mustache Toast,” and sing the Cinco De Mustache theme song again. This usually brings a lot of laughs (and strange looks) from the ladies, staff, and faculty. The guys don’t mind, though, because a mustache is something to be proud of.

Special Thanks to student Kaitlin Handley (who hopes to scrub this from her memory soon) for the above vid!

And another version from a cell phone on Multnomah’s YouTube Channel:

Paying Homage
They even pay homage to faculty member Ray Lubeck, who has become an icon (maybe even a mascot) of sorts, due to his own impressive mustache. He’s a real-life example of mustache longevity.

In other facial hair news…coincidence?
It seems this time of year is the best time to think about facial hair. It is a little-known fact that November is National Beard Month, where men across the nation are encouraged to prepare for the cold, winter weather by growing a beard. In fact, just as I was preparing for this post on Monday, I discovered another blog that decided to pay tribute to the “20 manliest mustaches and beards in facial hair history.”

Inspired
Cinco De Mustache, National Beard Month, and the above mentioned tribute to facial hair got us feeling nostalgic. In keeping with tradition, we’re preparing a couple of special followup posts in the same vein. As always, stay tuned… you won’t want to miss this!

Cheers!

Link to:
part two | part three

Good News… Deadline Extended:
Multnomah University’s Link: Short-term Missions is now open for Alumni applicants who wish to go on a missions trip during Spring Break or Summer 2009. In addition, the application deadline has been moved so Alumni have ample opportunity to submit their applications. Here is the updated information:

Details:
Download this pdf for more details on each of the trips, including the cost per person.

Get Involved:
If you are a current student, alumni, faculty or staff member, or have any other ties with Multnomah, you are eligible to apply for one of these trips. To apply, you must complete the following:
1. Download the application packet
2. Fill out your portion of the application
3. Have your pastor and a friend fill out the reference forms
4. Submit the completed packet by November 14, 2008

For those who are accepted, there are a few mandatory team meetings
- November 20, 2008 (all teams)
- March 7 (Spring break team)
- April 25 (Summer teams)
- Other meetings will be scheduled by the individual teams

“RABBITS!”
Entering the student center dining area on the first day of each month, it is customary to be greeted with enthusiasm by this two syllable word from Roger Porret, one of our food services volunteers.

This game – for more than three decades now – has provided an opportunity for faculty, staff and students alike to engage in a regular activity of camaraderie and silly fun. The game of “Rabbits” began in the mid 70’s by a group of former students [a very good source tells me it was Cheri (Halverson) Jackson, Randy Brown, and Sue (Andvik) Forsythe] and continues on to this day. You may have even participated in a game or two of Rabbits yourself during your time at Multnomah. At one of our recent “Rabbits Day” celebrations, one of our college students came to lunch sporting a 6-foot rabbit costume! Much to Roger’s delight (and sustained personal effort)…the tradition still continues.

Rules of the Game

• Show up to the Cafeteria, where Roger works, on the first day of the month.
• Spot Roger.
• “Tag” him by calling out “RABBITS!” before he does.
• You win. (Which is hard to do because Roger has this game on lockdown!)
• Note: Technically, you could “rabbits” anyone – nowadays I hear that people get “rabbited” via text messages!

Who is this Roger, Anyway?
Roger Porret has been serving in our dining services program as a volunteer for more than 30 years. He is described by his peers and supervisors as one of our most dedicated employees. He shows up everyday on time, in a good mood, and always happy to greet you…especially on the first day of each month with an enthusiastic “RABBITS!” 

Tell Us About Your Traditions!
Comment below and keep your tradition going…