Daniel Chenet screamed as he pulled off his ski mask, revealing himself to an audience of 250 in a ritual that was the result of five weeks of preparation.

“I was excited, happy, relieved,” he said. “It was an unbelievable feeling.”

Chenet’s revelation served as the climax of an intensive pledging period he underwent to become a member of the historically black fraternity Iota Phi Theta. During the process, members kept secret the fact they were pledging, which is a tradition in the fraternity.

“It was a bit difficult to keep it a secret,” said Chenet, a junior mechanical engineering major. “But we all knew it would be good for us in the end.”

Members wore the ski masks throughout the hour-long show — which is called Probate — at the Nyumburu Amphitheater Tuesday night. New members performed traditional greetings, chants, songs and steps of the fraternity they learned during their pledge period. They also sang songs from more popular artists, ranging from Eminem to Boyz II Men and the Mentos commercial jingle.

“Probate is just a celebration of the experiences” of the inductees, said Raymond Braxton, an alumnus of the fraternity and university. “It’s a way to introduce the world to new members.”

Other historically blackGreek organizations host their own Probate shows, which other fraternities attend to show their support, Braxton said.

“It’s a reminder of the organization and the things they do,” he said.

New members from this university, Howard University and Bowie State University’s chapters took part in Probate.

“This was our entrance onto the campus,” Chenet said. “I felt great, and the crowd reaction was great too.”

The university chapter has hosted Probate since 1997, when Braxton revived both the chapter and the show after a six-year hiatus.

“There were still coming-out shows,” he said. “But they weren’t to the level of this.”

The university’s chapter has become known for Probate.

“Maryland’s show is among the top five,” said Fred Ashley, an alumnus of the fraternity and Howard University. “Maryland goes all out — it’s a production when they do it. It’s really entertaining.”

The new members, dressed in camouflage pants, black shirts and black ski masks, proved versatile in their talents: Chenet played both the keyboard and the saxophone as other members danced and sang.

“There’s some musical talent in this group!” said Juli Jordan, a senior family studies major who came to see the show.

The audience cheered, laughed, clapped and sang along with the group, and some were even serenaded by the new members.

“It’s a place where you can get together, see people you know, stuff like that,” said Steve LoGerfo, a senior American studies and history major. “It’s partly a social event and partly to see the new members of the organization.”

The Centaur Walk marked the show’s finale. This is a ritual march ending with the new members pulling off their masks and introducing themselves to the audience, stating their names, majors and the nicknames bestowed on them by fraternity members.

“They have something to show off after all their hard work,” said Manan Shah, a junior finance major and member of Iota Nu Delta, a South Asian-based multicultural fraternity. “We come out to every one every semester.”