This is from the Spanish word cotillón.
Kotilyon (English, from French: cotillion) is a debutante’s ball for a Filipina girl on her eighteenth birthday. It’s similar to the Latin American quinceañera, which is a coming-of-age celebration or party when a girl turns fifteen.
Magkokotilyon ako bukas.
I’m having my debutante ball tomorrow.
Nagkotilyon ka ba?
Did you have a big party to celebrate your eighteenth birthday?
Filipinos colloquially call a kotilyon a debut (pronounced “de-byoo”).
MGA KAHULUGAN SA TAGALOG
kotilyón: pormal na sayaw, lalo na para sa isang debutante
kotilyón: masiglang sayaw na binubuo ng iba’t ibang galaw, at ginaganapan ng magkakapares na babae at laláki
kotilyón: musika sa naturang sayaw
Cotillions and debutante balls (commonly known as ‘debuts’) are very popular in the Philippines and in Filipino communities overseas. A cotillon celebrates a girl’s eighteenth birthday in becoming a woman. It is akin to a Mexican girl’s quinceañera.
The Philippine “debut” begins with a priest giving a blessing before the ball. Eighteen of the debutante’s closest girlfriends and family present her a cake with eighteen candles to be blown out. Then eighteen roses are presented by eighteen male friends and family while dancing to a “slow song.”
Traditionally, the debutante leaves the ball at midnight or until most of her immediate family has left. Another tradition is for all young males at the event to drink to each letter of the debutante’s name. Modern variations have since been introduced, such as the giving of eighteen symbolic gifts or the replacement of roses with tulips, among other things.
The debutante, her escort and her court (nine couples, for a total of 18 people all together, including the debutante couple) learn and perform the cotillion de honor. This dance either consists of a waltz or the traditional Filipino aristocratic dance “rigodon.” In modern times, the waltz is accompanied by Latin dances and sometimes hip hop routines.
Most females who are debutantes are from rich upper class families. It is said that the number of debuts females and males have been involved in, as a cotillion member, serves as a mark of their popularity. However, increasing numbers of young Filipina girls choose not to have a debut due to the lavish and perceived pretentiousness of the event, attributed in part to the large sums of money spent in their inception.
