Unless you’re involved in Greek life, chances are you probably don’t know or understand the importance or joys of “Big-Little week.” Lucky for you, I’m here to break it down into terms that anyone can understand.

Basically, within sororities, each member of the new pledge class is paired with a Big Sister who is in an older pledge class. Your Big is designed to not only be your bff, but also your mom and automatic favorite person in the world. In order to foster this bond, Big-Little week occurs, during which the Big Sister goes out of her way to spoil and trick her Little.

Each day of Big-Little week brings new surprises; such as picture frames, hand-painted crafts, baked goods, and last but not least… deliveries! Deliveries are when fraternity pledges are forced to drop off flowers, food, or a basket filled with goodies to a Little. In doing so, the boys are generally required to be shirtless, and will have to sing, dance, or in some especially exciting cases, give lap dances. It is usually best if these embarrassing events occur in the most public places possible, such as a huge lecture hall or a dead-silent library. Embarrassment is a key part of the bonding process and is definitely the best part of this week.

Now, moving on to the lying. No Big-Little week (or really any strong relationship for that matter) could be formed without lies, right? During this week, lying is not just supported--but in fact encouraged, as Bigs will tell their Littles anything under the sun to throw them off track and hide their identity. These lies usually begin with a texting app that will disguise phone numbers and may include but are not limited to: making up fake boyfriends, changing your hair color, inventing new likes and dislikes, and even lying about your whereabouts at all times of the day. Sometimes, it may become so excessive that Bigs have a hard time keeping track of these massive falsehoods and they have to be extremely careful not to slip up and blow their cover.

Finally, the end of the week culminates in Big-Little reveal, which is basically like Christmas morning combined with every birthday you’ve ever had. In a nutshell, it’s an emotional experience that’s guaranteed to be filled with countless pictures in basic poses that will eventually be blowing up on your Instagram feed and lots of screaming and hugging all around.

Although this process may seem crazy to some, it really does culminate in one of the most important relationships a girl can have. Having a Big is truly such a blessing. It means always having a shoulder to cry on when boys are mean and having someone who knows and appreciates all sides of you. It means knowing someone is there to lift you up during the hard times and celebrate (get drunk) with you during the good times. It’s someone who has an endless supply of cute clothes for you to borrow, and who can guide you through anything and everything; but most of all, having a Big means having someone who loves you unconditionally no matter what.