Have you made your debut?

[girlygirl11]

I think I might make my debut this year and I'm wondering if any other girls on here have done that... how was it? It's hardly a societal necessity these days but it sounds like fun and it's something of a family tradition for us.

I had mine after I finished high school. One was a family thing, and the other was sponsored by the ethnic community assocation my family belongs to -- a society thing if you will, but obviously not hoity toity like the ones we hear about all the time.

My niece had not only her quinceanera, but also the debuts after she finished HS as well. Lucky for her, she likes that stuff...and she even got to wear my dress.

Looking back, I think it was a waste of time and money for my parents. I would have loved to get a car instead. It just wasn't my thing.

[Taualumna]

I made my "debut" when I was a month old. In Chinese tradition, a baby is introduced to non immediate family and friends approximately 30 days after birth. In Hong Kong and in much of the Chinese community abroad, a banquet is held in honour of the baby at a restaurant, often several tables are reserved. I didn't have a "real" debut as a teen. It really isn't all that common anymore. The Artillery Ball ended back in the 60s, and currently, there are only one or two major events that are considered debutante balls in Toronto (the Helicon Ball is one. It's held by the Hungarian Helicon society each winter.) I tried to get one in for the Dragon Ball, an annual event that raises money for an Asian run senior centre, but the organizers backed out several months after I proposed it.