Une Rallye – No Proms in France

                Dress shopping, getting asked to go, matching ties, ordering corsages and boutonnieres, where’s the pre-party, where’s the post party, who is riding with whom, kids resorting to family members for last minute dates, parents taking one too many photos, you know it’s prom season when . . . .

                With everyone getting ready for the junior prom back home at North Penn, a lot of people have asked me if there are proms in France, and unfortunately, I’m forced to reply NO.  Schools are generally only for educational purposes in France as there aren’t any school organized activities, sports, or dances – no football games, fundraisers, concerts, nothing. 

                There is a carnival, but it’s throughout the city, not just the school, where everyone dresses in costume.  That is coming up soon.

                However, in France there are rallyes.

                Commonly referred to as les boites de marriage “marriage boxes” (direct translation), a rallye is a party organized by social class, and it’s a way to have kids get to know each other and make strong relationships.  The idea of this "noble" tradition (or at least it used to be the idea) is everyone will eventually marry each other.

                Once a month, the parents will formally invite the kids by invitation through mail, and you RSVP by a written response back.  It’s formal attire, as the attendees pull out dresses, heels, suits, and ties from their closets.  The girls are all done up in classy, respectable long dresses (not the short, skimpy dresses that you would see at the North Penn Winter Ball) and the boys are looking quite spiffy as everyone tries to act formal and fancy for the night.

                In Paris, the rallyes get really intense, as they become more of a competition for families to show off wealth. Taking place in big banquet halls or old castles, with DJ’s, dancing, food, and drink, lots and lots of money is spent.

                I was invited to my first rallye a few weeks ago as the “American correspondent.” I left my house at 5pm with a borrowed gown from a friend, and a couple girls got ready together at another friend’s house. From the shower, to the hair, to the makeup, all the stockings, strapless bras, dresses, heels, and finishing touches, we were finally ready by 7:30pm and headed into center city to catch a bus that would take us to the party.

                We were dropped off at a huge gorgeous building outside the city, and all hundred or so of us filled the hall where there were little appetizers, drinks, and a DJ already playing music. Before entering the building though, you did a bisous (kissing on the cheeks) with the parents of the host, and thanked them for the invitation. Throughout the night they were there replenishing the food, bringing out dessert, and limiting the wine. (It’s France, so of course there was wine.)

                I didn’t know very many people at the rallye, only the kids from my school.  But there were kids from four different schools there. I met a lot of new people, and everyone was really nice, but sometimes it didn’t always seem sincere. Being a newbie to the group, it was easy to recognize the different groups that formed, and even though I had just met the people, the kids (especially the girls) were already openly spilling secrets about each other. I learned a lot of drama within the first half hour.

                At 2am, everyone piled back onto the bus - not without saying goodbye to the hosts of course.  Exhausted, a little bit hungry, and itching to take my shoes off, I headed to a friend’s house where I spent the night.  Overall it was really fun; however, I will admit it was also a little bizarre. It’s the kind of parties you would see on Gossip Girl, not something you typically attend at North Penn High School.

                Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures from my first rallye. Maybe next time. I can’t wait to see all the prom pictures on Facebook next week!