Breaking Down the Debutante Ball
by: Diandra Bautista2009-02-05
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A dash of Spanish here, a pinch of American there; modern Filipino culture is an amalgam of different influences and traditions stirred with a local twist.
Despite being a melting pot of cultures, some Filipino traditions still emerge as palatable cocktails that are unique from its foreign roots. And no other Filipino tradition embodies this definition like the Philippine Debut.
The Philippine Debut is a celebration of a transition—the time when a young girl becomes a full-fledged woman and is introduced to society as such. While this celebration is also practiced by other cultures, let us break down what makes the Philippine Debut different or similar from them.
Age difference
The Philippine Debut happens when a girl turns 18 years old. In other cultures, however, 18 is not the magic number.
Americans usually celebrate a lady’s 16th birthday, more popularly known as a Sweet Sixteen. Latin American countries, such as Mexico, celebrate the Quiceañera which, as the term suggests, happens when a girl turns 15 years old. If you think that’s young, wait till you learn about the Treceañera which happens when a girl turns 13, also celebrated by some Latin American countries. The Jewish even take it a step further down the age scale and celebrate the Bat Mitzvah when a girl turns 12.
Following dance-steps
A Debutante Ball is never without a dance. Or in the Philippine Debut’s case, The Grand Cotillion Dance.
The Cotillion is performed by the debutante and her court, composed of nine pairs (including the debutante and her escort) dancing to the Waltz or any other formal ballroom dance.
Traditionally speaking, the Cotillion is a French dance performed in courts whenever there are social gatherings. It was influenced by the Quadrille style of dancing which has four pairs of dancers instead of the nine needed in the Philippine version. The purpose of the Cotillion is to use dance as a way of displaying manners and courtesy.
In old American culture wherein the term Cotillion refers to the actual high society ball, it serves the same purpose as a debut wherein young women are presented to society (usually at the age of 16) as an adult, eligible to be married to other upper-crust bachelors. The cotillion is where the ladies display their grace and refinement in hopes of showing off their status.
The other ceremonial dance is the Father-Daughter dance which, obviously, pertains to the time when the debutante and her father slow dance while everybody watches. This is similar to the Sweet Sixteen’s Daddy-Daughter dance. The similarity doesn’t end there, though. Whether Filipino or American, most dads get emotional during this part as this is also the time they whisper to their daughter’s ears the ever-popular “You’ll always be my little girl” line.
The main event
The most iconic ceremony of the Philippine Debut is the 18 Roses Dance. This is where 18 of the debutante’s male friends dance with her one by one after each of them hands her a single rose.
The American Sweet Sixteen doesn’t have an 18 Roses Dance, but it does have a 16 candle ceremony. This is similar to the 18 Candles Ceremony in Philippine debuts wherein 18 of the debutante’s friends each light a candle and give her well-wishes. Unlike the Philippine ceremony, though, it is the debutante who lights the candles and she is the one who says a message of thanks for each candle she lights. The candles could either be placed on candleholders on the table, or around the cake.
Quinceañeras don’t have the 18 roses either. Instead, the main event is the very symbolic shoe ceremony. In this part of the event, the debutante receives a pair of high-heeled shoes from her father. She then takes off her flats and wears these shoes to complete her transformation from child to woman. The Sweet Sixteen’s analogue to this ceremony is the Tiara Ceremony where a Tiara is given instead of a pair of shoes.
Mish-mash
While the Philippine debuts practically remain the same, there is still a lot of freedom to put in some variations. The more popular of these variations are done in the Cotillion. Some debutantes opt for a less formal ceremony and ditch the Waltz for a more modern hip-hop or disco routine. Some go as far as modifying the 18 Roses, turning them into 18 balloons. Others even add an extra ceremony known as the 18 Symbolic Gifts in which 18 friends each give a gift to the debutante and explain why they gave her that gift.
Cross-cultural debuts are also rampant, especially in the Americas. Some American households hold Sweet Sixteens that have some Quinceañera elements (such as the Shoe Ceremony) in them and vice versa. So the possibility of going cross-cultural in a Philippine Debut is also possible.
Do you want a hip-hop Debutante ball with an 18 Roses Dance, an 18 Candle-lighting and a Shoe Ceremony? Go knock yourself out. No one is stopping you. Feel free to even turn the Father-Daughter Dance into a Mother-Daughter Mambo.
The important thing in a Debutante ball is to respect its fundamental purpose which is to celebrate womanhood—to present the debutante as a decently raised child who is now capable of being a responsible adult ready to take on the challenges ahead
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