What is a “rave”?
Dictionary definition of the word “rave” • rave \’ra-v\ vb [ME raven] • 1a: to talk irrationally in or as if in delirium • 1b: to declaim wildly • 1c: to talk with extreme enthusiasm • 2: to move or advance violently : STORM : to utter in madness or frenzy rav.er • rave n often attrib • 1: an act or instance or raving • 2: an extravagantly favorable criticism Contemporary definition of “rave” as a social event In simplest terms, a rave is a social event, a phenomenon of modern youth culture. In most cases a rave is a dance party in which the participants experience a sense of community and elevated consciousness through the hearing of music and the respond ing to music through (1) free physical motion or dance, (2) a positive change of mood, and (3) both spoken & unspoken interaction with other participants. Although this is not an exhaustive list, it can generally be said that raves today tend to include the following dominant elements: • a venue which may be a warehouse, open field,
The term “rave” has been overused almost to the point of losing its meaning. The word has always meant (according to webster): • rave \’ra-v\ vb [ME raven] • 1a: to talk irrationally in or as if in delirium • 1b: to declaim wildly • 1c: to talk with extreme enthusiasm • 2: to move or advance violently : STORM : to utter in madness or frenzy rav.er • rave n often attrib • 1: an act or instance or raving • 2: an extravagantly favorable criticism In general practice, a “rave” usually refers to a party, usually all night long, open to the general public, where loud “techno” music is mostly played and many people partake in a number of different chemicals, though the latter is far from necessary. The number of people at the event is unimportant; it can range from 50 people to 25,000 people. The cost of attendance is also unimportant – there have been good raves and bad raves at both ends of the cost spectrum (though in practice, the higher the price, the more commercial the event, and the l
