In the United States, and increasingly in the United Kingdom and Canada, a promenade dance, most commonly called a prom, is a semi-formal (black tie) dance or gathering of high school students.This event is typically held near the end of the senior year (the last year of high school). Proms figure greatly in popular culture and are major events among high school students.
High school juniors attending the prom may call it “junior prom” while high-school seniors may call it “senior prom”. In practice, this event may be a combined junior/senior dance.
At a prom, a Prom King and Prom Queen may be revealed. These are honorary titles awarded to students elected in a school-wide vote prior to the prom, and seniors are usually awarded these titles.
Read on to find out more about prom and how it is celebrated in various countries around the globe.
The United States of America:
In America, high school graduation and prom go hand in hand. Students don a cap and gown to accept that diploma and dress up later in the evening to reward themselves for earning it. The dances are usually on the school grounds with a student being the DJ and the teaching staff being the chaperones throughout the night. As the night goes on, the music gets louder and the dancing increases. The night usually ends with the DJ playing a slow song, allowing the students to soak in their last moments in high school.
Germany:
German students celebrate the end of secondary school and the passing of their final exams, known as Abitur, with a dance called the Abiball. The Abiball takes place after graduation and, though like in America, students don formal wear and dance the night away, the similarities mostly end there. Many students attend Abiball with parents or siblings and celebrate the night with families, friends, and teachers alike — for part of the evening at least. The dance usually starts with a ceremonial procession of the proud graduates, and sometimes includes speeches, awards, and sketches along with the typical eating, drinking, and dancing. But near the end of the night, family members head home and the students keep the party going, often after relocating to a dance club, where they stay until the wee hours of the morning.
Finland:
In Finland, the big dance isn’t for the recent graduates, but rather the class right behind them — the soon-to-be leaders of the school. When the graduating seniors leave school in mid-February to prepare for their final exam in March, the new seniors celebrate their rising status with a ball known as Vanhojen tanssit. Though the dance is a celebration and the student’s don formalwear, the goal is to look and act in a dignified manner. Many students choose to start prepping for the ball several months in advance with an official school class focused on learning traditional dances, like the waltz, the tango, and even some American folk dances. The day of the ball, the new senior students perform those dances with partners of their choosing or potentially assigned partners for an audience (often relatives). If the students want to party in a more informal manner, it happens after the official festivities are over, in the form of dinners or after-parties that they arrange on their own.
Poland:
Poland’s graduating seniors get their celebration started a little early —100 days to be exact. “Studniówka”, the name for Poland’s prom equivalent, is derived from a Polish word meaning “hundred-days,” and the final dance takes place about 100 days before students’ final graduating exams. At the studniówka, students and teachers celebrate together, typically starting with the traditional polonaise dance, and continuing with a shared champagne toast to celebrate the soon-to-be-graduates’ journey into adulthood.
Peru:
In Peru, graduating students celebrate with the “Fiesta de Promocion”, or a pre-promotion dance, typically at a hotel. Like many of the European prom-like traditions, the Fiesta de Promocion includes parents and teachers during the first part of the night. After some dinner and dancing, though, they leave the students to continue the party on their own — often until early the next morning, when they conclude the epic celebration with a group breakfast.
United Kingdom:
Prom is a relatively recent tradition in the U.K.: As writer Sally Williams noted, when she was in school, students used to celebrate with “end-of-exam discos” that were far less elaborate than school dances much of the country’s teens now attend. According to Williams, more than 85% of U.K. schools have proms — referred to as “Debs” in Ireland, a term shortened from the traditional “debutante ball.” Overall, proms in the U.K. seem similar to those in America, many taking place in high-end hotels, with girls in floor-length evening gowns and guys in tailored suits, and everyone enjoying multi-course seated dinners before taking to the dance floor to let loose and celebrate the end of an era with their closest friends.
How is prom celebrated in your country? Is it different from the six countries mentioned above? Let us know in the comments below and we will update this post with your help.
Govind Nair
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