What is a Homecoming Queen?

[Clare]

So just about every tween show and movie on Disney Channel has the main character wanting to be and usually becoming, Homecoming Queen. What is that? I get that it's the belle of the ball type thing, but what does it mean? What is homecoming? Emily wants to know and it's something I've always wondered about too, so I told her I'd ask!

[Silke]

this might help
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homecoming

[MrsPeacefrog]

After reading what Silke posted, that is so different to what I was told when I was in America for Cultural exchange in school.

I was told it was the celebration of the first "Home" game for the football team :dunno: Basically they did a big dance etc to celebrate that and they would have a Queen and King of homecoming who would go around on the field before the game.

:lol2: guess I was wrong.

[Cami]

That's the general idea. High schools and colleges have "homecoming" some weekend in the fall (ie, autumn), surrounding some football game. The students elect a king, queen, and maybe a "court" of additional kids. There's a dance sometime that weekend for the students. They'll have activities for alumni and some classes schedule their reunions at the same time as homecoming.

The dance part is pretty much like prom (which is typically in the spring but without the sport or reunion)... do you have proms there?

[MrsPeacefrog]

the closest to prom would be what we call a Formal. Basically at the end of Yr 10 and Yr 12 there is a formal dance at the end of the year to say goodbye to the students leaving. Everyone gets dressed up in formal gear, brings dates and has a sit down dinner and then followed by a dance.

[Jayne]

Your Formal is very much like prom. Although I don't know about you but we pay a fortune for prom here and it isn't held at the school. It is usually at some big hall and we have a big afterprom thing. It is always at different places. One year we did the Gateway clipper (A boat all night) One year Ceader point (Amusement park) etc... Usually it is reserved for 11th and 12th graders (Jr. and Sr. Year). You take a date and have a sit down dinner and Dance the evening away.

Our homecomming usually falls in the middle of football season and basketball season. Football court wears suits and then the Queen is crowned at the game. Usually durring halftime. Then the basketball one is the same only they are more formal attire. There is usually a dance that weekend. (I believe those are still heald at the school) THe previous queen crowns the new queen. It is always Seniors.

[Shel]

Think semi-formal

[MrsPeacefrog]

yeah, our formals are at different venues, it depends on the graduating years formal committee where it's held. And yes some people spend a fortune on it, do the home limo dress, hotel rooms afterwards etc etc

[Bridget]

Generally speaking "Homecoming Queen" is also a code word for a very pretty and popular girl who is also likely a real beeach.

:scan:

OH and totally OT but I recently heard/read (can't remember!) something about some schools in the US considering putting the whammy on formal dances at school other than Prom, to address how out of control the spending has gotten on them. Interesting, no?

[Clare]

Generally speaking "Homecoming Queen" is also a code word for a very pretty and popular girl who is also likely a real beeach.

:scan:



That's what I was thinking :lol: So it still doesn't make a lot of sense :dunno:

While we're on the subject, what does "prom" mean? Is it short for something?

[Bridget]

I think it originally came from the term promenade... and that was like a type of formal dance that was held but don't know where or when. Ain't I helpful? :lol:

I don't know why the Homecoming Queen is such a big thing here... I guess it's all part of the "American" thing and maybe was boosted by the early/mid 20th century fascination with beauty pageants and crowning of beauty queens. :dunno: I know it's a big deal to be the Homecoming Queen though, and something that travels through your life with you... "The former Homecoming Queen has done blah blah blah" ... that type of thing.

Needless to say, this Nerd Queen was never nominated. Girls with big brown glasses, short hair, weird clothes and "eccentric" personalities don't get nominated. Not that I ever expected to be, but I always held out hope (like I'd say a lot of us did) that we might at least be nominated. :lol:

[Karly]

My guess is promenade, Clare. :dunno:

[Karly]

Yeah, I'm too slow with replying. :lol:

[Bridget]

And if I haven't mentioned before, I admittedly have a fascination with beauty pageants. I like Americana (studying basically American society) and I have read a fair bit about them for some bizarre reason.

:scan:

:bolt:

[Bridget]

Yeah, I'm too slow with replying. :lol:

At least I wasn't alone in thinking it came from promenade!!!

[Clare]

My first thought was promenade, but that's a road so I didn't get the association.

Bridget, I don't believe that you weren't Homecoming Queen! :faint: :lol:

ETA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prom

In the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) and Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada), a prom, short for promenade or promotion, is used to describe a formal dance held at the end of the high school (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_school) academic year. In the United Kingdom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom), the term is more widely understood to be in reference to a season of classical concerts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Proms) or "proms", which have been held between July and September since 1811, today run by the BBC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC). The British synonym for the North American event would be Leavers Ball, or Leavers Dinner, closer to the Australian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia) description (see below.) In Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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.



Why would a dance be called a promenade or promotion? :scratch:

[MrsPeacefrog]

I guess in the end we do have the same dances but they are just called different names, but the major difference is we don't crown anyone just for being pretty and popular :dunno: