campuspowerful

• Program For Debut 18th Birthday

• Holidappy»

What is debut for the Filipino community?

When Filipinas reach 18 years of age, it becomes one of their major milestones in life; this signifies their step into the world of adulthood, the coming of age as they say.

The Filipino community will already treat them as “dalaga” — pertaining to a single young Filipina who has passed the stage of puberty or an eligible young Filipina.

Accordingly, the parents will now allow their daughter to start dating someone and have a boyfriend.

It’s like the parents’ or guardians’ public announcement that their daughter can already be courted by eligible young men or bachelors.

In light of this, the parents will give their best to organize a celebration.

A traditional debut is composed of programs that takes place during the celebration. However, today, twists and gimmicks have been added.

'The once overly formal celebration has become fun and exciting yet fairly expressive and descent.'

Program For Debut 18th Birthday

The Traditional Debut

• The parents give a message for the debutante and the guests.
• 18 pre-selected males among the debutante’s friends and relatives will compose the 18 roses. They will dance with her one by one in waltz music and then each will give a single long stem red rose.
• The last dance is always reserved for the father, or a father figure in case of the biological father’s absence. In some celebrations, the father-daughter dance is separate from the 18 roses while some have both.
• Next, 18 pre-selected females will deliver a message about their relationship with the celebrant. Finally they end it with a special wish for the celebrant’s success, health, future, etc. before lighting a candle.
• In the event that her father or grandfather isn’t present, the debutante will be given 18 white roses. This will signify his presence in one of the most important celebrations of his daughter’s life.
• The entourage, including the debutante and her escort, will participate in a “Cotillion”, a dance that’s rehearsed for months prior to the celebration and also performed in the tune of waltz music. This is considered as a very significant part of the debut.
• The celebration ends with the debutante giving a speech regarding her life experiences, what she learned up to this point in her life, and finally thanking her family and everyone who supported her throughout her journey into adulthood.
• Afterwards, everyone will be invited to dance in the center like a disco. Even though this is entirely optional, most debuts are incomplete without a disco party after the event.

The Modern Debut

The debut modern version still has the traditional programs, but is given some twists:

• In the 18 roses, the first dance will be the debutante’s father, and the last one will either be her special someone, suitor, or her best-friend.
• There is a new program named 18 shots wherein the participants will give a speech just like in the 18 candles but this time they will wish the debutante a good future with a toast and shot of an alcoholic drink.
• Another new program is the 18 treasures or 18 symbolic gifts. In here, the debutante’s friends and relatives give a gift, then a short explanation as to why that certain gift was chosen.
• Modern debuts have different themes such as a costume party where the entourage dress up as characters based on the theme like superheroes. There are also debuts having runways like a fashion show, modeling or something, and the debutante along with the female members of the entourage show off their extravagant outfits. Traditional debuts always have a ball theme.
• In some instances, the debutante will pick the best-dressed guest for the females while her escort will choose that for the males and then the winners will be asked to ask a question about each other and then dance romantically.

• When You Turn 18 – What If Feels Like to Be the Debutante
  So when is your debut? You must be very excited about it. This is the time when you’re formally introduced by your parents to everyone in your community, especially to a few eligible bachelors.
• 12 Facts About Philippine Debut That’ll Amaze You
  The Philippines has a rich culture and tradition, and one of the most notable is the “coming out party” for their young women at 18 – debut.

What's common between the two?

Both traditional and modern debuts always have a grand entrance where the debutante either marches down a long set of stairs or through a procession along with the entourage.

There is also an audio-video presentation that shows the important milestones of her life. Photographers and videographers are hired to document the debut.

Dinner will be served at the organizer’s time of choosing, and there is also a cake cutting ceremony.

• oh my gosh it's so beautiful i like it so much

• The Philippines have some wonderful traditions. I wish the girls here did not date until 18, what a great idea. Great hub, shared,

• How beautiful, and wonderful in celebration! The gowns are stunning, and it must be a life experience for the girls who are becoming adults. Thank you for sharing such a delightful ceremony with the world!

• I don't wear dresses a lot but they sure look pretty.

  Esmé

• A lovely article and the photos are beautiful, too. Thank you for sharing. We sometimes have Debuts, too, but they are often with quite a number of girls making their debut at the same time. However, it is still a very important occasion for them - and for them to remember in later years.

• Both versions of the debut sound exciting. A worthy tradition! Thanks for sharing it.

• Beautiful article, and thanks for sharing this beautiful tradition.

• Eva, I enjoyed learning about the debut - how lovely the young ladies and gowns are. The traditional and modern debut are both very interesting. It is so good to learn about traditions of your culture.

  Well done on the hub. Voted up and shared.

The debut (/dɛˈbuː/) is a traditionalFilipinocoming-of-age celebration which celebrates a young woman's 18th birthday, the age of maturity in the Philippines. In order to have the Philippines coming of age, the young woman must be a virgin. Signifies as purity and maturity.

Although also reaching legal maturity at 18, a Filipino man may mark his own debut on his 21st birthday, albeit with less formal celebrations or none at all.

• 1Description

Description[edit]

On her 18th birthday, a Filipino girl customarily throws a large party, complete with her own hand-picked entourage of 18 individuals or multiple sets of 18. The celebrant's court usually wears a formal dress, such as the Barong Tagalog or the western black tie.

Program[edit]

A typical ceremony begins with a short prayer invoking blessings upon the debutante. She then enters, and performs traditional dances with her court for their guests. The most important one is known as the 'Grand Cotillion Dance', usually a waltz.

An '18 Roses Dance' is also done, in which 18 males of the debutante's choice dance with her after presenting her with a single red rose or her favourite flower. This dance is almost always preceded or concluded with a 'Father and Daughter Dance', and sometimes the father takes the place of the 18th rose (who is often the girl's significant other). An older male relative, such as a grandfather, may take the father's place if the latter is unavailable or deceased.

The debutante also has 18 'candles', presented by female friends or relations. Each delivers a short speech about her relationship with the celebrant and any special greeting, and lights a candle that is either in her hand or placed in a stand.

Music and other performances are usually interspersed between the '18 items' rites, while dinner and sometimes alcohol are served. A birthday cake ceremony often occurs, and a fireworks display may conclude more extravagant parties. The night ends with the debutante's speech, in which she shares her thoughts on life and extends her gratitude towards her guests.

Other '18 items'[edit]

Recent additions to the ceremony are the '18 Treasures', in which 18 individuals each present the debutante with a gift. These usually also involve a speech from each individual, but unlike the Roses and Candles sets, these groups are of mixed gender.

Others involve material presents for the debutante, such as the 18 shoes and the 18 bills. A 'blue bill' in the context of this ceremony refers to the Philippine one thousand peso note, which is blue.

Lastly, there are the (optional) 18 white roses. If the debutante is missing a figure in her life such as a father, she chooses her 18 white roses in place of that figure.

In film[edit]

The custom was highlighted in the 2001 American small-budget film The Debut,^[1] starring Dante Basco.

References[edit]

1. ^'The Debut' - Archived 2007-10-17 at the Wayback Machine

External links[edit]