A typical gathering, with boys in tuxedos, and girls in dresses with corsages on their wrists.

A crowded dance-floor at a Prom

In the United States and Canada a prom, short for promenade, is used to describe a formal dance held at the end of an academic year. In the United Kingdom, the term is more widely understood to be in reference to a season of classical concerts or "proms", which have been held between July and September since 1895, today run by the BBC. The British synonym for the North American event would be Leavers' Ball, Leavers' Dinner or informally Leavers' Do, closer to the Australian description (see below.) In Canada the terms Grad or Formal are most common and the event is usually only held for those in their graduating year of high school or middle school. Prom Queen is the first internet video series produced by former Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisners new production company Vuguru and the returning internet series production company Big Fantastic. ... Prom may refer to more than one thing: Prom, in its most common contemporary use, refers to a formal social event - usually a dance - generally held near the end of the last two years of High school (the term is short for promenade). ... Taken by Ken Stokes on May 20, 2005. ... Taken by Ken Stokes on May 20, 2005. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixel Image in higher resolution (3456 × 2304 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixel Image in higher resolution (3456 × 2304 pixel, file size: 1. ... A Promenade concert in the Royal Albert Hall, 2004. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

While proms at smaller schools may hold a school prom open to the entire student body, large high schools may hold two proms, a junior prom for those finishing their 11th grade year and a senior prom for those who are finishing their high school years. The name is derived from the late nineteenth century practice of a promenade ball. The end of year tradition stemmed from the graduation ball tradition.

Boys usually dress in black tie (a dinner jacket and bow tie), sometimes with brightly colored cummerbunds or vests, though any sort of formal wear can be worn. Traditionally, girls gave boys matching boutonnieres to be worn on their tuxedos or waistcoats. Girls traditionally wear formal gowns or dresses adorned with a corsage given to them by their dates. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Black tie, known in the United Kingdom (and also in the north-eastern United States, and Canada) as a dinner jacket and in the United States generally as a tuxedo, is a dress code for formal evening events that are not formal enough to require white tie. ... One option to tie a bowtie The bowtie is a mens fashion accessory, popularly worn with other formal attire, such as suits. ... Orange cummerbund A cummerbund is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, which is often worn with black tie. ... VEST (Very Efficient Substitution Transposition) ciphers are a set of families of general-purpose hardware-dedicated ciphers that support single pass authenticated encryption and can operate as collision-resistant hash functions. ... Formal wear (more often in the United States) or formal dress (in the United Kingdom) is a general fashion term used to describe clothing suitable for formal events, including weddings, debutante cotillions, etc. ... A boutonnière, also butt hole (British English), is a flower or floral decoration which was traditionally pushed through the butt hole of a jacket, but in modern times is most often pinned onto a gentleman’s butt hole. ... Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and U.S. President Ronald Reagan wearing black tie with wives in Quebec, Canada, March 18, 1985. ... A traditional waistcoat, to be worn with a two-piece suit or separate jacket and trousers A waistcoat (sometimes called a vest in Canada and the US) is a sleeveless upper-body garment worn over a dress shirt and necktie (if applicable) and below a coat as a part of... Wedding - Bridesmaid in long gown A gown or evening gown is a womans evening wear, corresponding to mens formal wear for white tie and black tie events. ... Look up dress in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up Corsage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Common prom activities include dining, dancing, the crowning of a prom King and Queen, and socializing. Look up Dinner in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ...

Some universities and colleges have proms as well, depending on the size of the graduating class in a faculty or department. For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ... For other uses, see College (disambiguation). ... A faculty is a division within a university. ... This is a list of academic disciplines (and academic fields). ...

Prom King and Queen

A Prom King and Queen are high school students, often seniors, who are elected to be traditional prom "royalty" at American high schools. The honor is usually bestowed by fellow students casting votes and electing their king and queen from a set of nominated candidates called the Prom Court. In general, kings and queens are involved in a number of activities including sports, extracurricular clubs, class offices, and other activities that get them noticed by their peers, which can lead to many votes.^[1][2] Candidates may also campaign for the honor.

The practice of crowning a Prom King and Queen is uncommon in Britain, Canada, and Australia though widespread in the USA. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized...

Related social gatherings

Some American Christian high schools and colleges that disallow school-sponsored dances will host a Junior/Senior. Rather than dancing being the main planned event, a banquet is served. Typically, students still dress in formal attire and even bring dates. The tradition of Junior/Senior is popular at small Christian colleges such as Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, and Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois. Asbury College is a Christian liberal arts institution located in Wilmore, Kentucky. ... Greenville College is located in Greenville, Illinois, a small (population 6500) southern Illinois city, located some 45 miles from St. ...

As described in the introduction, in British English, such an event might be called a ball. In Australian and New Zealand schools the terms used are either School Formal or simply Formal. If the event is not relegated solely to the final year, it is sometimes called a Dinner-dance, Leavers' Dinner, Debutante Ball or also Valedictory Dinner, usually so when the night includes a meal and is in the final year of high school. British English (BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere in the Anglophone world. ... Students ready for their formal. ...

In Sweden this kind of event is usually known as Studentbalen. The word "Studentbalen" is in this case a proper noun meaning "The Student Ball", while the word studentbal is a common noun that can refer to any formal dinner and dance at a Swedish university. Studentbalen is usually held during the last weeks before graduating (Swedish: "Ta studenten") after three years in secondary school (Swedish: Gymnasieskola) and can be a quite formal, white tie event though the practice differs greatly between schools. A proper noun is a noun that picks out a unique entity. ... A noun, or noun substantive, is a word or phrase that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance or quality. ... A gymnasium (pronounced with as opposed to ) is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English Grammar Schools and U.S. High Schools. ... Formal evening dress is more strictly regulated than other forms of dress, and properly consists of: Black tailcoat with silk (ribbed or satin) facings, sharply cut-away at the front Black trousers with a single stripe of satin or braid in the US or two stripes in Europe White stiff...

In Austria the last year in Gymnasium is celebrated with a ball (the so called "Maturaball") usually in January or February. This dance takes place before the exams are written. Normally the ball is pretty formal, so that all the students come either with dress or with a tuxedo or suit. Often the students invite their parents and other relatives to come to the ball with them. A gymnasium (pronounced with or, in Swedish, as opposed to ) is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English Grammar Schools and U.S. High Schools. ...

In Ireland, this formal dance is called "The Debutantes' Ball", or informally, "The Debs" (an abbreviation). This is also a formal dance for students who have just graduated from secondary school (high school) and is traditionally held at some stage during September and October, after the students have finished all their exams and have even got their results. The same formal dance is also occasionally known as Grads among students in all-male schools, but who would therefore invite girls from other schools and is, therefore, the same as a Debs. Though "Grads" can also refer to a less formal dance mid-way through the school year.

In the U.S. a "formal" is typically a similar dance that is held by a fraternity or sorority affiliated with a certain college or university. In Australia and Britain, the term "prom" has also come into usage because of the influence of American movies and television.

In Germany students celebrate their graduation from High School or Gymnasium with an Abifeier (from the graduation certificate or Abitur), "Abi Party" or an "Abi Ball" - although most British or American students would fail to observe any of the traditional formality found in their own events. Students are not compelled to wear Tuxedos and the women students are rarely in ball gowns.^{[citation needed]} The event often follows a very rigid running order, with welcome, introductions, an award ceremony for students and then a series of student organised activities that tend to make fun of teachers usually with a joke about their bicycles or an extended hagiography about the favourite teacher. This is followed by the school's own band or bands or even an extended demonstration of all of the artistic outpourings of the students and staff. The event normally ends with a DJ playing music. Alcohol is available at these events since the legal drinking age in Germany is 16 (for beer and wine) and most graduating students are 18 or older. For other uses, see High school (disambiguation). ... A gymnasium (pronounced with or, in Swedish, as opposed to ) is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English Grammar Schools and U.S. High Schools. ... Abitur (from Latin abire = go away, go off) is the word commonly used in Finland and Germany for the final exams young adults (aged 18, 19 or 20) take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling. ...

In Colombia many private schools usually have "proms" as well, in Medellin for example hotel rooms are booked for this purposes and alcohol is usually available.^{[citation needed]}

In South Africa the equivalent is a Matric Dance, taking place during the matriculation (i.e. final) year of high school. In most schools it takes place on the Friday evening that schools close for the spring break before the Matriculation Examinations commence. The tradition is, however, very similar to the American one. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In Malaysia proms are gaining more and more popularity, and being held by more schools, especially in the bigger cities. However, these gatherings are usually fully organised by students only, and the school administration is not involved.

In Pakistan the equivalent is farewell dinner & farewell function that takes place at the end of the college academic year. In farewell function one lady is appointed as "lady of the evening" and one guy is appointed as "Gentleman of the evening".

In Poland the more-less equivalent of prom is called Studniówka, which is happening around 100 days before final high-school exams (from sto dni -- hundred days), which is organized mostly for people who are just about to graduate. People from other years cannot come by themselves, but are often invited by their older friends.

In India the equivalent is a farewell party or farewell gathering. The outgoing students are given a warm send-off by the junior students and staff. All the seniors are felicitated with souvenirs and best outgoing students are given awards.

In Slovakia the closest thing to a prom is Stužková, an occasion when the seniors get together with their parents and teachers to celebrate their upcoming graduation. It takes place in November or December. Each of the students receives a green ribbon with their name on it (thus the name Stužková, i.e. the Ribbon Ball). Many of the students will wear this ribbon on their jackets/shirts for the rest of the year. Stužková typically includes a banquet, skits and songs prepared by students, and, of course, dancing.

In Slovenia the equivalent is Maturantski ples after graduating from high school. Students can bring dates and/or close family to the ball. It is a custom that each student dances the first dance of the night with his mother/her father.

In Turkey the equivalent is called "Graduation Ball". The type and the rules of the organization is completely up to the school board.

In Italy the equivalent is known as "Mak Π 100" because it takes place 100 days before the students' graduation in high school. In military schools it is similar to the American prom, whereas in civil schools it is less formal, it can be held in discos and the students can perform a cabaret show in which they make a parody of their teachers.

In Chile, proms or "fiestas de graduación" (graduation parties) are usually held at convention centers or hotels after the "licenciatura" or graduation from High School, and sometimes after taking the PSU (Chilean University Entrance Exam) in December. Students are expected to dress with evening dresses and tuxedos. They are allowed to go with a date, whether it is their significant other, a friend, or a relative. It usually starts by dancing a waltz with the opposite sex parent, and a dinner. After the dinner, the parents leave, and the dance starts until the next day. Food like hors d'oeuvres and a small breakfast and alcohol drinks are available during the party. PSU is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, including: Universities Pennsylvania State University Plymouth State University Portland State University Pittsburg State University Plattsburgh State University Prince Sultan University Prince of Songkla University Others Personal Support Unit, a charity for members of the public that have to deal with civil...

In Finland the equivalent of the prom is called Vanhojen tanssit. Vanhojen tanssit (or Wanhojen tanssit; in English The dances of the old) is a formal prom held in Finnish upper secondary schools (lukio) during the second year. ...

In Egypt most private schools have proms similar to the USA.

Anti-prom is an alternative social gathering, usually held to protest a prom. An anti-prom or morp is a social event often staged by high school students as a protest against, or boycott of, their schools official prom, as an alternative celebration. ...

See also

• Anti-prom
• Debutante Ball
• Studniówka
• Vanhojen tanssit
• Charitable Prom Organizations

Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 151 languages. ... An anti-prom or morp is a social event often staged by high school students as a protest against, or boycott of, their schools official prom, as an alternative celebration. ... A debutante ball, or debs, is the Irish equivalent to the USAs proms. ... Studniówka (literally, 100 days ahead party) is a traditional ball for final grade high school (liceum or technikum) students (i. ... Vanhojen tanssit (or Wanhojen tanssit; in English The dances of the old) is a formal prom held in Finnish upper secondary schools (lukio) during the second year. ... Charitable Prom Organizations are springing up all across the country. ...

References