The high school prom may have originated in the United States, but its roots come from traditional European formal affairs that have been going on since before America was even discovered. In England, the high school prom is called a “Debutante’s Ball”. It was parents’ admiration of these balls and their desire to teach their children something about culture and etiquette that brought about the development of the first high school prom back in the 1930’s. The custom was previously reserved only for college students.
The annual tradition of the Debutante’s Ball is also observed in Ireland, where it is known as “The Deb”. It can also be found in Australia and New Zealand. In Germany, the equivalent of the high school prom is the Abifeier, In Austria, it is called the Maturaball, and in Sweden students celebrate the end of their high school years with an event called Studentbalen. In South Africa they have a Matric Dance to acknowledge matriculation into college and in Poland they call it Studniówka. The cultures and the names may be different but the events are all formal dances very similar to the American high school prom.
The European debutante balls may have been the predecessors to the US high school prom, but there are many countries which developed the custom when the saw the success it had in America. There are currently high school proms in Columbia, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Slovenia, Slovakia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Lithuania, Finland, Egypt, Vietnam, Turkey, Italy, and Argentina. Many of these nations were once part of the Soviet Block where proms were frowned upon as an American tradition so it is great to see today that high school students have the freedom to party like we do.
As you prepare for your high school prom this year, think about all the kids around the world who are doing exactly the same thing you are doing: celebrating their youth with one last big party. Everyone’s goal no matter what country you come from or what language you speak is to have a good time and enjoy the company of friends on prom night. It’s the one thing that you all have in common. As you enter the adult world you will find a global society that is broken by ignorance and intolerance. You can change that. One barrier can be broken by remembering that no matter what your differences are you all went to a high school prom. It’s a small beginning, but it’s a beginning.
