Every year in March thousands
of students across the U.S. 'let loose' - during Spring Break, this has become
known as the ultimate party time.
There are those who purport
that Spring Break's roots can be traced all the way back to the ancient rituals
of the Greeks and Romans. At the time it was common for young men and women (of
mating age), to celebrate the season of fertility, spring. These rituals celebrated
the god of wine (Greek) Dionysus, (Roman) Bacchus. It was not uncommon for such
celebrations to include dancing and drinking (to the point of total inebriation).
The rise of Christianity and the belief in one god put an end to many of these
celebrations.
However, modern-day Spring
Break owes its popularity to none other than the American film industry, specifically
to the movie, "Where the Boys Are", which portrayed young men and women
on the idyllic shores of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Students started flocking to
Florida's beaches and, later, Daytona Beach took the place of Ft. Lauderdale as
the ultimate Spring Break destination.
In the 1980's, a variety
of planned activities, such as snorkeling and scuba diving, trips to theme parks
etc., were incorporated into Spring Break. Traditionally, this event was used
to 'push' cigarettes and beer, but, slowly advertisers realized there were untapped
opportunities to market everything from cars to computers - so the focus shifted.
By the 1990's another Florida
city, Panama City, supplanted Daytona Beach as the primary destination of choice.
Increasingly, international destinations such as Cancun and the Bahamas also began
drawing crowds.
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