Cape Breton Island Local Customs

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June is High School graduation and prom month and this year our youngest was a participant in both. Most North Americans would be familiar with these traditions and I'm sure most countries have their own way of celebrating the end of Secondary School.
The Prom (short for promenade) is a formal dance that takes place a few days before graduation. Many girls start planning for their prom up to a year before the big event. Since the beginning of time (60 years ago), the tradition was that graduating girls wore white gowns to the prom. In the year 2000, some girls dared to wear pastel colours (Yeah!), and since then any colour and style is fine. The boy's usually wear black tuxedos. If we're lucky, we may see a kilt or two.
Before the formal dance starts the students participate in a "Grand March". Year after year, up to 4,000 people come out to watch this well choreographed march. The march can take up to an hour but it gives everyone a chance to admire their sons, daughters, grandkids, friends, neighbours and in my case former students. At the end of the march, the grads stand in such order as to spell out their school initials and then the graduating year.
The first dance of the evening is reserved for the graduating student and a parent. Then the rest of the evening and night belong to the grads and their dates.