Tik Tok On the Clock, But the Party Don't Stop

This past Thursday I celebrated my 18th birthday in Belgium. In this country 18 is a very important age. It is the legal adulthood and maturity, the legal age of responsibility, the age of criminal responsibility, the right and obligation to vote, the right to be elected (except for Senate), the legal age for driving, and the minimum age to stop school. However it is also an age sprinkled with ceremony. My host mother inquired what it was that I wanted to do for my birthday. He own daughter had rented out a hall and payed a DJ to come when she celebrated this special day. This did not seem completely out of place because I am familiar with the coming of age celebrations that are practiced in America. In the United States, for the most part, turning 16 is the biggest party age as opposed to 18. For my birthday I had two friends over for the actual evening, followed by a night out with other friends Friday night. It was brought to my attention that parties in Belgium are very different from the types of parties that I have been able to attend in Pennsylvania.

When someone says the word party, depending on the age of the person, various images come to mind. In the United States we have birthday parties, movie parties, sweater parties, house parties, etc. It seems to me that the same types of parties exist in Belgium, though on a larger scale. Through a conversation with my host sister she explained to me how strange it was when I mentioned having numerous people over for a "party" at my house. She said that parties normally happen outside of the home and with organized events. For example, there are organizations throughout the towns that sponsor youth events, such as Scoot (Girl/Boy Scouts) and la Jeunesse (the young people). These events have a mandatory 5-6 euro entry fee plus anything you buy inside. With the previous statement I refer to the purchase of alcoholic beverages or soft drinks. It is rare to have a large number of people over to a persons house, without also having plans of partaking in another event. What I have noticed that commonly happens is that students will have their friends over for pre-party fun followed by a group departure to the main event. Although this is a behavior that is indeed found in the United States, in my experience, I have found that it is not always the case. House parties are more common place. For example, if a student's parent's leave them alone in the house for a weekend, they have more of a chance of having an event in that location as opposed to searching for an external hot spot.

One of the contributing factors of this difference in parties is that youth in Belgium is not prohibited from consuming alcohol. Drinking is an act that can, and does, take place in a public domain. It is because of this that I think there are more events for young students that are organized and well attended. In addition, these events last well into the wee hours of the morning, and are not ended by local law enforcement intervention. It is completely acceptable for such parties (soirées) to take place. From my experience through friends and movies, events are more secret. There are tricks used to avoid being reprimanded by the law or even by parents. This kind of secrecy can be seen in the use of red plastic cups for drinking. Because these cups are not clear, the liquid within cannot be seen and therefore remains a "mystery." In Belgium, one can use a clear cup because it is legal to drink.

Big parties and events are more frequent in Belgium than in Pennsylvania and are commonly the entertainment for the weekend. Though I have not yet decided whether or not this is something I prefer or not.