On September 18, 2010, the LS team will be covering Richa's 18th birthday at the Palms Country Club in Alabang.
As a preparation for the big day, we had the chance to shoot her on the grounds of the venue last September 5, 2010 and got the chance to know Richa and meet her family.
What's the big fuzz anyway? What's with the elaborate party and this excitement all about?
The Filipino version of a female's rite of passage is an interesting and much awaited event in a young Filipina girl's life. Almost every Filipino, young or old, male or female, is knowledgeable of what happens when a young girl turns 18. There's a "debut" (that's how we Filipinos call it) and you know the drill. An embellished banquet is prepared for the débutante attended by her relatives and friends. She picks out 18 closest girl friends or female relative to present her a symbolical "cake" with eighteen candles where each will have a wish for the deb. She blows out her candles (this is a big task as the 18 candles are placed in a structure shaped like a cake tapering towards the top which is as tall as her). Then there's the 18 roses - male friends, long-stemmed roses, dance with the débutante and so on and so forth. Then 18 couples including the deb and her escort will dance the cotillion or rigodon de honor.
What most of us look forward to is this "dance" of the 18 roses. We know for a fact that the first dance is by protocol, the father's where in his absence, the next in line is the one who is the most senior in the family. Then as the dance progresses, the male friends' hierarchy is revealed. The last few ones are those closest to the deb and the very last one always is the one dearest to the deb's heart.
Who would be Richa's last dance, we will find out on the day we shoot this debut.
Photographer: Lally Eleazar
All images are owned by The Lightshapers. Unauthorized use of these copyrighted images are prohibited.
-Lally Eleazar
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