LONG-STANDING TRADITIONS have been a staple in Atenean culture, and the annual Blue Eagle Bonfire is one of the most anticipated culminating celebrations that the Ateneo community commemorates as one.

The Bonfire salutes athletes’ manifestation of grit, resolve, and passion for serving the Blue and White across a multitude of sports tournaments. As the yearly event unfolds, the Atenean community always unites to honor these student-athletes, whether in triumph or in defeat, singing “A Song for Mary” with pride.

Proving to still maintain its relevance throughout the years, the Bonfire is now more than just a celebration of the victories of each athlete. More meaningful than ever, the Bonfire is also a call to the community on why we have chosen the Ateneo at our very core.

Blasting the first flame

In 1937, the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team (AMBT) crowned themselves champions in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Season 14 after plunging the Jose Rizal College Men’s Basketball Team, 40-26. Held in the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, more than 500 Ateneans flocked with torches to Taft Avenue to congratulate the formerly-called “Blue and Whites” team. They then marched to the previous Padre Faura campus with joy, and those holding torches threw them into a shrine of wood to ignite a fire. Eventually, this was recognized as the first Bonfire event in Ateneo’s rich history.

University Athletics Office Director Emmanuel “Em” Fernandez mentioned that the event had simply started as a mini bonfire that served as a form of light, wherein people popped down their car’s trunk, and feasted over food and drinks prior to becoming a full-blown celebration. Thereafter, the Bonfire in its current form started in 2002 as a grand event organized by the Ateneo Alumni Association. This saw thousands of people in attendance after the AMBT won their third title in Season 65 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

Fernandez and Office of College Athletics Coordinator Benjamin Joseph “Benjo” Afuang then changed the landscape of the Bonfire in 2008 upon spearheading the event by adding their own flare. Prior to 2008, the event was held at Bellarmine Field but it had numerous entry points and was quite muddy, so Fernandez and Afuang situated the annual Bonfire at the Ateneo Grade School Parking Lot—a more controlled, cemented environment.

Afuang expressed that before handling Bonfire, the event was organized “to celebrate the championship of the AMBT after 14 years” of a gold medal drought that had put the spotlight on only one team.

In 2013, the event was expanded to honor all sports after Fernandez and Afuang established a second bonfire within the year. This bonfire recognized the Ateneo Baseball Team and Ateneo Men’s Football Team, who both won championship titles, now acknowledging not just one team of Blue Eagles but the whole flock of the Blue and White.

“It’s an opportunity for the community to get together [and] gives them a reason to come ‘home’ and reconnect with people,” Afuang emphasized.

An Atenean battlecry

Through joys and tears, the Ateneo community battles and struggles as one. The Bonfire inflames a reminder of what Ateneans live by: “Win or lose, it’s the school we choose.” As the Blue and White chants their battle song, they find themselves seeking a higher purpose than competition. With a ring of fire surrounding and binding the community together, the Bonfire becomes a celebration and creation of a chosen family.

As a sophomore student-athlete, Kaikaku Dela Serna sought to find a home in a new environment. Through her first Bonfire, the Women’s Fencing Team standout found a place for solace and compassion. “[Going to the bonfire made me realize] I’m with new people and new things are gonna come to me,” she says.

Despite having to step into a bigger world in her college years, Dela Serna came to a realization that her stay in the Ateneo allowed her to find a substantial mission which is to be of service to the community.

From finding a new family to tightening the strings, the Bonfire thus served as a binding knot during overwhelming times for Ateneans. Being away from home, Men’s Swimming Team headliner Rian Tirol had to undergo a big adjustment as he stepped into unfamiliar ground. Regardless of the need to adapt to a new environment, Tirol did not fight his battles alone as he found consolation in his teammates.

Undeterred by his situation, Tirol managed to form a newfound family and build a second home with his co-athletes. “Who would best understand your situation if not the people who are also going through the same thing?” he said.

More than just a celebration, the Bonfire also entails responsibility especially for student-athletes. Tirol shared that in his first Bonfire as Team Captain of the Men’s Swimming Team, he was tasked with accommodating sponsors and alumni. Despite carrying a duty on his shoulders during the event, Tirol expressed that he did not work alone as he had his team to help with the tasks.

The school we choose

More than a celebration of victories, Afuang underscored the evolution of the Bonfire as an inclusive commemoration that became an event for all. Rather than the event paying homage to one team, Afuang added that the Bonfire has progressed into a “celebration of the community, for the community,” also recognizing non-UAAP teams.

In the most recent Bonfire last January 2023, the University gave recognition not just to the athletes’ achievements in the UAAP, but all other accomplishments of the institution during the first semester. During the event, the Ateneo community gathered to commemorate the Blue and White’s standing in the World University Rankings, as well as the Ateneo Debate Society winning the World Universities Debating Championship. 

The growing Bonfire tradition redefines what constitutes victory by changing it into a community celebration. For Jordan Brand Wings Scholar Andrew Dumangas, the Bonfire honors the small things, such as the act of simply surviving each day especially during the aftermath of the pandemic. With the Bonfire celebrating the Ateneo’s small and big wins, Dumangas viewed the event as a reflection of the community’s supportive nature.

“Nagkakaroon kayo ng One Big Fight spirit na kapag nakikita mo ‘yung bonfire, pati ‘yung puso mo nagkakaroon ng apoy na magpatuloy (Everyone becomes inflamed with the One Big Fight spirit upon seeing the bonfire—even your heart is set aflame with a fire to continue),” Dumangas shared.

The Atenean scholar mentions that despite the different hardships he encounters daily, he still got to see the bonfire, which served as a homage to his perseverance. Through this, Dumangas feels a sense of encouragement to aim for more and be hungrier for excellence, as something is waiting for them down the line.

Always in all ways, the Blue and White community praises what each individual has accomplished and builds a pathway to see what more they can offer. The Ateneo exhibits through the Bonfire that whatever the community may be passionate about, the institution provides spaces for them. Whether the victory is big or small, the Atenean community guarantees that every member will be there to cheer each other on. Although the Bonfire may hold a myriad of definitions, one thing is certain: It assures each individual that this is the place where the Blue and White belong.