Debut

In Filipino culture, the Debut is a coming-of-age celebration observed on the 18th birthday for women and the 21st birthday for men. It is sometimes called a Filipino Cotillion. While men customarily observe their Debut with a low-key celebration or no observance at all, the young woman's Debut is traditionally a large party in formal dress. It closely resembles a wedding ceremony in its formality and expense, especially the larger Debuts. A woman's Debut includes a presentation by the debutante at which she demonstrates a talent or ability and celebrates with rituals using 18 candles and 18 roses. Many Filipino families expect to spend nearly as much money on a Debut as on a daughter's wedding.

The Filipino Debut has similarities to both the Latin American Quinceañara, which is celebrated on the 15th birthday, and the Anglo-American debut, a cotillion ball at which groups of 18-year-old debutantes are formally presented to polite society. The Filipino Debut has the formality of the latter while being tied specifically to the birthday of a single celebrant as with the former, though it is oversimplifying to say that it is a blend of the two traditions. Rather, coming-of-age celebrations have been common in many cultures and in the Philippines traditions have been adopted and adapted from the Spanish and American colonial powers. The Filipino Debut, though it can be quite expensive, lacks the upper-class connotations of the debuntantes' cotillion. As with a wedding ceremony, it is expected that the Debut will involve advance planning. Dresses are often specially made or tailored for the occasion and may be designed to match the debutante's dress and chosen colors. Like sweet 16 celebrations and some weddings, a Debut sometimes has a theme that is important to the debutante.

Because the Filipino Debut celebrates the 18th birthday of the young woman, the number 18 is often invoked multiple times throughout the celebration. For instance, the debutante may be accompanied by an entourage or court of 18 male-female couples. These are often friends but may include siblings or cousins. Members of the court may be presented with special jewelry or boutonnieres in order to signify their importance. After an opening speech from the debutante's mother, father, or grandparent (sometimes itself preceded by a blessing or prayer by a Catholic priest), a slide show or video presentation of several minutes presents key moments (sometimes touching, sometimes funny, and sometimes nostalgic) from the debutante's life.

The debutante enters the room accompanied by her escort (typically her boyfriend). In the most formal Debuts, this is much like the presentation of debutantes at a cotillion, with the [Page 266]debutante descending a staircase into a ballroom. The 18 women who are close to the debutante each present and light one candle, offering brief remarks about the debutante, followed by the beginning of the dancing. The first dance is typically the father-daughter dance, followed by the dance of 18 roses, in which each of 18 men close to the debutante present her with a single rose in turn before dancing with her. This dance may be either a brief token dance in order to speed through the 18 roses or, more traditionally, a dance to a complete song, albeit usually a song on the short side.

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