Originally, the term meant that the woman was old enough to be married, and part of the purpose of her coming out was to display her to eligible bachelors and their families with a view to marriage within a select circle. Vienna, Austria , still maintains many of the institutions that made up the social, courtly life of the Habsburg Empire.
From 1 January to 1 March, no fewer than 28 formal balls, with a huge variety of hosts, are held in Vienna. Some of these balls also have debutantes. However, the two that are best known for their debutantes are the Officer's Ball and the Vienna Opera Ball. The modern version was founded in , by the association Alt-Neustadt, an association of graduates of the Theresian Military Academy.
They have organized the ball publicly since The ladies are from the nobility, daughters of senior ranking military officers, or female officers in the Austrian military. They are presented to the Minister of Defense. The final ceremonial is the blowing of the hunt horns and takes place at 4 o'clock in the morning. On the eve of the event, the rows of seats are removed from the stalls, and a new floor, level with the stage, is built.
The ball does not start until around 10 pm when the Austrian president and his guests enter the imperial balcony. Their arrival is heralded by trumpets. The Austrian national anthem is played followed by the European anthem. There are performances of the state opera ballet company and classical arias sung by the opera stars. These are normally a small selection of Italian opera and famous Austrian pieces. The highlight of the opening ceremony is the introduction of debutante couples.
These are carefully selected young women and men who have successfully completed an application program and a strict classical dance choreography organised by the Elmayer dance school. The dress code is evening dress: white tie and tails for men; strictly floor-length gowns for women. White opera gloves are still mandatory for female debutantes at the Vienna Opera Ball. Australia inherited the practice of debutante presentation from the British monarchy, with colonial governors and Governors-General of Australia responsible for organizing events in the early decades.
