It’s spring now, and that can only mean one thing. It’s Veishea time — I guess.

I got a call from one of my editors last week, asking for a freshman’s perspective on the celebration of Iowa State. I agreed, but I had one question before I could hang up the phone.

“So, what’s there to do at Veishea?”

Don’t get me wrong, I knew it was Veishea time, I just don’t really know what Veishea is all about.

To try and get a better idea of the week, I went and talked to some of the older members of my dorm floor. I hoped that their memories of Veishea would excite me for the celebration, or at least give me a better idea of what I could expect.

Unfortunately, I received many of the same answers from my friends. “Well, there is a parade and some games and displays,” is the generic answer I got, not really helping me in my understanding of the week.

The only thing I knew for sure was that the musical was that weekend. So still without a clear idea of what Veishea is and what makes it so special — and a deadline looming — I decided to look at Veishea’s Web site to hopefully improve my understanding.

Here’s what I found:

— Veishea began in 1922 as a celebration of Iowa State, a way for the different colleges on campus to come together and promote the school.

— The Cyclone celebration is the largest student-run, alcohol free celebration in the nation and the second largest in the world.

— The name Veishea comes from the first letter in the names of the original colleges at Iowa State: Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics and Agriculture.

— Each day is dedicated to a different college.

— There are a plethora of competitive games of all kinds, with tournaments that run throughout the week.

— There are various presentations for students to enjoy.

— Saturday hosts one of the highlights of the week, the annual Veishea parade.

So with a little digging, I’m finally starting to see what Veishea is all about. It’s about celebrating all the learning, living and growing we’ve done together over the last year.

And from that celebration among ourselves, we can turn and share our success and learning with those around us, showing everyone our pride in ourselves and in what we can do.

That’s what there is to do at Veishea.

Grant Wall is a sophomore in pre-journalism and mass communication from Fort Dodge