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 semi-formal (black tie) dance held at the end of an academic year. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily Orchestral 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. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page

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. Black tie is a dress code for semi-formal evening events and is worn to many types of social functions Black tie is a dress code for semi-formal evening events and is worn to many types of social functions The bow tie is a men's Necktie popularly worn with Formal attire, such as suits or Dinner jackets It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around A cummerbund is a broad waist Sash, usually Pleated which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets ( AmE: Tuxedos '. Sleeveless Jackets or coats, known as vests in the US and as waistcoats in the UK and Ireland Formal dress (UK and formal wear (US are the general terms for Clothing suitable for formal social events such as a Wedding, formal garden party Traditionally, girls gave boys matching boutonnieres to be worn on their tuxedos or waistcoats. A boutonnière is a Flower or floral Decoration worn by men typically a single flower or bud A waistcoat (sometimes called a wescot, Vest or a vestee in Canada and the US) is a sleeveless upper-body Garment Girls traditionally wear formal gowns or dresses adorned with a corsage given to them by their dates. A gown ( Medieval Latin gunna) is a (usually loose outer Garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from A dress (also frock, gown) is a garment consisting of a Skirt with an attached Bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece

Common prom activities include dining, dancing, the crowning of a prom King and Queen, and socializing. Dinner is the main Meal of the day The meal normally consists of a combination of cooked or sometimes uncooked proteins (meat fish or legumes with vegetables and/or Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic

Some universities and colleges have proms as well, depending on the size of the graduating class in a faculty or department. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects College ( Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an Educational Institution. A faculty is a division within a University. The concept of a university with different faculties for different subjects dates back to Al-Azhar University, which had An academic department is a division of a University or School faculty devoted to a particular Academic discipline.

Prom King and Queen

A Prom Queen to-be smiles for the camera before leaving for her Senior Prom.

A Prom King and Queen are high school students, generally seniors, who are elected to be traditional prom "royalty" at American and Canadian 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 and Australia, though widespread in the USA and Canada. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page

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 6955 southern Illinois city located 45 miles from St

As described in the introduction, in British English, such an event might be called a ball. British English or UK English ( BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the In Australian and New Zealand schools the terms used are either School Formal or simply Formal. A school formal or formal, is an event held during the school year for students in Australian (and New Zealand) high schools. 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.

In Sweden this kind of event is usually known as Studentbalen. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. 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. Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the A gymnasium (pronounced with ɡ- in several languages is a type of school providing Secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar White tie ( evening dress, full evening dress in the UK is the most formal evening Dress code.

In Austria the last year in Gymnasium is celebrated with a ball (the so called "Maturaball") usually in January or February. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich A gymnasium (pronounced with ɡ- in several languages is a type of school providing Secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar 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.

In Ireland, this formal dance is called "The Debutantes' Ball", or informally, "The Debs" (an abbreviation). Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world 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. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution A gymnasium (pronounced with ɡ- in several languages is a type of school providing Secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar Abitur (from Latin abire = go away go off is a designation used in Germany and Finland for final exams that young adults take at the end of Students are not compelled to wear Tuxedos and the women students are rarely in ball gowns. 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.

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. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America.

In South Africa the equivalent is a Matric Dance, taking place during the matriculation (i. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa 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.

In Malaysia proms are gaining more and more popularity, and being held by more schools, especially in the bigger cities. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and 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. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and 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. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland 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. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country 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. Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million 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. Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west 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". Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches 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. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest 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. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the 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.

In Finland the equivalent of the prom is called Vanhojen tanssit. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Vanhojen tanssit or Wanhojen tanssit in Finnish ( English: "The senior ball" or De äldstes dag in Swedish ( English

In Egypt most private schools have proms similar to the USA. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics.

In Vietnam the equivalent of the prom is called lien hoan cuoi nam. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially

Anti-prom is an alternative social gathering, usually held to protest a prom. An anti-prom or morp ( prom backwards is a social event often staged by High school Students as a Protest against or Boycott

See also

• Anti-prom
• Debutante Ball
• Studniówka
• Vanhojen tanssit
• Charitable Prom Organizations
• Carrie (film)
• Prom Night (1980 film)

References