Season (society)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
The social season or Season has historically referred to the annual period when it is customary for members of the a social elite of society to hold debutante balls, dinner parties and large charity events. It was also the appropriate time to be resident in the city rather than in the country, in order to attend such events. The Season typically lasted from late fall to Fat Tuesday. In the warmer months, high society departed for their country estates.
Contents |
[edit] The Season in London
The London social season evolved in the 17th and 18th centuries, and in its traditional form it peaked in the 19th century. In this era the British elite was dominated by landowning aristocratic and gentry families who generally regarded their country house as their main home, but spent several months of the year in the capital to socialise and to engage in politics. The most exclusive events were held at the town mansions of leading members of the aristocracy; exclusive public venues such as Almack's played a secondary role. The Season coincided with the sitting of Parliament and began some time after Christmas and ran until midsummer (ie. around late June). The social season also played a role in the political life of the country: the members of the two Houses of Parliament were almost all participants in the season. But the Season was also a chance for the children of marriageable age of the nobility and gentry to be launched into society. Women were formally introduced into society by presentation to the monarch at Court.
Today there is no official organization of the Season although many of the traditions and customs remain. The traditional Season went into decline after the First World War, when many aristocratic families gave up their London mansions. From this time on an increasing number of society events took place at public venues, making it harder to maintain social exclusivity. Many events that take place far from central London came to be regarded as part of the social season, e.g. Royal Ascot and the Henley Regatta. The presentation of débutantes at court was abolished by Queen Elizabeth II in 1958. The events which now comprise the London social Season are increasingly hosted or sponsored by large companies (ie. "corporate hospitality"). Dress codes still apply to certain events in the season, especially where The Queen plays an official role.
According to the peerage guide Debrett's, the traditional Social Season runs from April to August. Traditional Season, Debrett's
[edit] Events in the London Season
[edit] Arts
Edinburgh Festival — Glyndebourne — The Proms — Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
[edit] Horticulture
[edit] Equestrianism
Royal Ascot — Glorious Goodwood — Badminton — The Grand National — The Royal Windsor Horse Show — The Epsom Derby
[edit] The Crown
Trooping the Colour — The Garter Service
[edit] Sport
The Boat Race — Henley Royal Regatta — Guards Polo Club — Wimbledon — Cowes Week — The Lord's Test Match
Although several of these events are not actually held in London, the organisers of most events attempt to avoid date clashes, so it is generally possible to visit all of them in the same year (given sufficient leisure time, disposable income and stamina).
The traditional end of the London Season is the Glorious Twelfth of August, which marks the beginning of the shooting season. Society would retire to the country to shoot birds during the autumn and hunt foxes during the winter, before coming back to London again with the spring.
[edit] Dress Codes
The social season is no longer the preserve of the upper classes and young women wanting to wed and there are few rules to be observed, in particular dress codes can still catch the uninitiated unaware. Every event has its own history so it’s worth doing your homework to blend in with the regular crowd. Hats are a must at Ascot, for example. And if you are permitted to enter the Royal Enclosure, gentlemen are required to wear black or grey morning dress complete with a waistcoat and topper (top hat). Ladies bearing too much leg or strapless dresses will be excluded.
[edit] The Season in the United States
Many large American cities have a more-or-less official social season, although only those persons on the social register may be aware of its existence. In the US, timing of the social season is adapted to the climate, rather than to the sitting of Congress and may start as early as the autumn and end in the early summer when the rich elite traditionally fled the hot and humid cities for the camps of the Adirondacks, seaside retreats such as the Hamptons, or, in California, the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
In New York, the opening of the Metropolitan Opera in September is a major event of the early social season; in Los Angeles, it is the Las Madrinas debutante ball; in San Francisco, the Opening Night Gala of the San Francisco Opera.
[edit] The Season in literature and popular culture
A London Season features in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and is often a key plot device in Regency romance novels.
Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence uses the New York social season as a backdrop for its story.
Julian Fellowes's Past Imperfect takes place during the 1968 Season in London.
In the 2003 film What a Girl Wants (film), Lord Henry Dashwood invites his new found daughter Daphne to attend the London Season
The 2004 movie White Chicks takes place in The Hamptons for the end of the American Social Season
[edit] Further reading
- Florence Adele Sloane (ed. Louis Auchincloss): Maverick in Mauve: Diary of a Romantic Age, Doubleday, 1983.
- Kate Simon: Fifth Avenue: A Very Social History, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978.
[edit] External links
- The London Season website
- The London Season by Michelle Jean Hoppe
- Debrett's Social Season (click 'The Season')
- Society Guys ('The Social Season')
- New York's Social Elite Today
- Late Victorian/Edwardian London Season
