Debut birthday party? What is it for?

I have attended some debut party which usually is clebrated on the 18 birthday of every teenage girl. It is usually a grand party with lots of guests and it usually seems much more special than an ordinary birthday party.
Some say that for boys it is celebrated on his 22nd birthday. But i have never been to one before.
For me i dont celebrate it because i just want a simple gathering and a simple dinner to celebrate my birthdays.
I sometimes just wonder what are debuts really for?
What makes it different from those usual birthdays tha a girl had before?
How about you? have you celebrated your debut before?
What do you think a debut party is for?
Why does it have to be so grand as compared to other parties?

Comments: 10

Larry H. May 10, 2009, 12:21am EDT

thanks for sharing

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Krystal Harwell May 10, 2009, 12:26am EDT

probably the fact that she's reaching adulthood.

I just went out to eat with my then boyfriend when I was 18 (broke up 7 months later), and on my 21st birthday I was with the guy i've been with for 2 years now, and we just stayed home and got drunk, since I could legally drink, then 27 days later was HIS 21 bithday, and we had a little party, 3 friends and my cousin :)

And the 18th one is usually pretty special since they're not a kid anymore, they're considered an adult in society.

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Elizabeth B. May 10, 2009, 12:39am EDT

your debut is to introduce a young lady into society, prehaps find potential husband...men usually do not debut..

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Visionaerie B. May 10, 2009, 12:53am EDT

I think there's an Hispanic one called the quincienera or something like that, at 15 years old. And then there are the Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs. I guess we never paid too much attention or significance other than the fact that you could vote or drive unsupervised, but since the insurance was so expensive, we usually held off on that. Maybe we need to rediscover some of these traditions as they're probably quite useful. Thanks for posting this!

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Candice(Candy) E. May 10, 2009, 5:16am EDT

Since I was raised in the South,( Tennessee ) Go TITIANS"!! Oh Sorry"! Back to The Subject Matter". We Didn't do the Debut Parties"........soo" I don't remember My 18th birthday,being special from my other birthday's. Instead we did slumber parties.

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