About Debutant Balls
Debutant balls are symbolic parties that hearken back to a very meaningful rite of passage in the life of young girls. The original debutant balls were held in France, but the tradition has now spread all over the world. In many areas, debutante balls are still held every spring for girls in their late teens.
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History
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Debutante balls began with the European landed classes. Royalty and nobility used these elaborate gatherings to formally introduce their marriage-age daughters into formal society. The social season that took place every year from late spring through summer was often started by the debutante balls. Once a girl had been presented to society at her own ball, suitors were free to vie for her hand in marriage.
Significance
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When debutante balls began, children and adults of the upper classes lived very separate lives. Adults and children did not mix in society. Children were relegated to their nurseries and stayed under the care of their nannies and nursemaids. The debutante ball was a way of introducing an older girl to adult society. This included meeting potential suitors as well as being introduced to adults as social peers.
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Time Frame
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Debutante balls rarely had one specific age for coming out, but there was a general time frame that most parents chose from. A girl who was 15 or 16 was old enough for her own coming out, old the parents could wait until she was 18 or 19. Today, debutante balls are generally given for many girls instead of each girl receiving her own. This usually means that a specific age range, often 17 to 19, is given for girls to be eligible to participate in the ball.
Geography
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In the Southern United States, some areas of the North and some European countries, debutante balls are still a part of the social season. There is generally one ball held in each metropolitan area for all of the eligible girls who are chosen by a committee. In the South, charitable organizations such as the Junior League are often in charge of choosing the girls who will participate (see Resources below). In Europe, the balls are often given by groups of local parents of debutantes.
Features
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A debutante is escorted into the ball by her father and is then required to make a deep, formal bow. This ceremony is her official presentation to society and is followed by a dance with her father. The guests who attend are the family and friends of the debutantes and guests from the upper echelons of the local society. The guests wear formal evening clothing while the debutantes themselves wear long, white dresses.
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