Night of Decadence
Encyclopedia
Night of Decadence, commonly referred to as NOD, is a party held every year around Halloween
at Wiess College at Rice University
.
The party was first held in 1972 and quickly became a legendary event at Rice and in Houston, drawing young alumni and students from other universities in addition to Rice students. It was also named to the Top 10 College Parties in America by Playboy magazine in the 1970s.
, Caligula
, Armageddon
, Animal Farm
, The Trojan War
). By the 1990s the themes were generally sexual puns, often based on movie titles (e.g. James Bondage, Lust in Space).
Instead of traditional costumes, students dress as degenerately (or as minimally) as possible. Pregnant nuns and drag dress are some of the tamer outfits. Although there are always several people creatively attired in Saran Wrap or fishnet stockings and pasties, a typical costume is boxer shorts for men, and bra and panties for women. Because of its overtly sexual context, NOD eventually became a polarizing event on the Rice campus. Alternative events on campus included Night of Innocence (offered since at least the 1980s), Night of Praise, and NODgeball. NOD remains one of the most popular parties on campus, though the decorations have become more conservative in recent years. Each year over one thousand people attend NOD.
Regardless of the stated theme, the decorations for NOD were overtly sexual. For many years NOD's trademark was "Sparky", a giant phallus built of papier-mache
and suspended from the ceiling of the Commons. ("Sparky's" also became the nickname of Wiess's basement game room.) Often Sparky was aligned with a corresponding anatomical prop at the other end of the room; one year a motor was added to move Sparky back and forth during the party. In some years a second Sparky was constructed with internal tubing that delivered Everclear punch from an upstairs mixing area to a suitably shaped serving trough below.
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
at Wiess College at Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
.
The party was first held in 1972 and quickly became a legendary event at Rice and in Houston, drawing young alumni and students from other universities in addition to Rice students. It was also named to the Top 10 College Parties in America by Playboy magazine in the 1970s.
Overview
Beginning in 1976, the college began adopting a theme for each year's party. In the 1970s and 1980s, many of the themes were historical and/or apocalyptic in nature (e.g. The Fall of RomeDecline of the Roman Empire
The decline of the Roman Empire refers to the gradual societal collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Many theories of causality prevail, but most concern the disintegration of political, economic, military, and other social institutions, in tandem with foreign invasions and usurpers from within the...
, Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, Armageddon
Armageddon
Armageddon is, according to the Bible, the site of a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or symbolic location...
, Animal Farm
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II...
, The Trojan War
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
). By the 1990s the themes were generally sexual puns, often based on movie titles (e.g. James Bondage, Lust in Space).
Instead of traditional costumes, students dress as degenerately (or as minimally) as possible. Pregnant nuns and drag dress are some of the tamer outfits. Although there are always several people creatively attired in Saran Wrap or fishnet stockings and pasties, a typical costume is boxer shorts for men, and bra and panties for women. Because of its overtly sexual context, NOD eventually became a polarizing event on the Rice campus. Alternative events on campus included Night of Innocence (offered since at least the 1980s), Night of Praise, and NODgeball. NOD remains one of the most popular parties on campus, though the decorations have become more conservative in recent years. Each year over one thousand people attend NOD.
Regardless of the stated theme, the decorations for NOD were overtly sexual. For many years NOD's trademark was "Sparky", a giant phallus built of papier-mache
Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
and suspended from the ceiling of the Commons. ("Sparky's" also became the nickname of Wiess's basement game room.) Often Sparky was aligned with a corresponding anatomical prop at the other end of the room; one year a motor was added to move Sparky back and forth during the party. In some years a second Sparky was constructed with internal tubing that delivered Everclear punch from an upstairs mixing area to a suitably shaped serving trough below.
NOD themes
| 1973-'75 | Night of Decadence |
| 1976 | Fall of Rome |
| 1977 | Wiess Palms / Motel 6 (Sanitized for your protection) |
| 1978 | Animal House |
| 1979 | 30th Anniversary of the Erection of Wiess |
| 1980 | Halloween |
| 1981 | Caligula |
| 1982 | Armageddon |
| 1983 | Co-eds in Chains (the year Wiess became a co-ed college) |
| 1984 | Animal Farm |
| 1985 | The Final Chapter (last year in which the Texas drinking age was 19) |
| 1986 | Reserection |
| 1987 | The Trojan War |
| 1988 | Motel Wiess |
| 1989 | Die Hard: 40 Years and Still Erect |
| 1990 | Dante's Inferno |
| 1991 | Seuss is Loose |
| 1992 | Garden of Delights |
| 1993 | James Bondage |
| 1994 | Lust In Space |
| 1995 | Scamtasia |
| 1996 | Wei'Kutopo (Amazonian jungle theme) |
| 1997 | The Greatest NOD On Earth (circus theme) |
| 1998 | Silver Anniversary: NOD's Greatest Hits (25th Anniversary) |
| 1999 | The Wizard of NOD |
| 2000 | Never Never NOD |
| 2001 | 2001: A Space NODyssey |
| 2002 | Cops and Robbers: A NOD to Authority |
| 2003 | NODty or Nice - Santa's Coming |
| 2004 | NOD Bless America: Choose Your Position |
| 2005 | NODdy by Nature: A Walk on the Wild Side |
| 2006 | NODical Adventure: A Salute to Seamen |
| 2007 | A Night in NODdingham: Bring Your Stiffest Arrow |
| 2008 | KryptoNOD: Horny Heroes and Villainous Vixens |
| 2009 | The Wonderful World of NOD: Someday My Prince will Come |
| 2010 | Viva NOD Vegas: Go All In |
| 2011 | Harry NODder: Slytherin to my Chamber of Secrets |