Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and other

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

n countries, a ''matinée'' (also spelled matiné) is a

discothèque A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

open to

teenagers Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

(usually between 14 and 18) before midnight. It was introduced in the 1990s because laws prohibited young people from going to dance in bars and

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s that served

alcoholic drink An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...

s. Throughout the 20th century up to the 1980s, the word ''matinée'' was used in Argentina for the first

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

exhibition of the day, usually around 2 p.m. and often intended for children. A ''matinée'' would usually feature a

double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...

of two films, with a live performance in between (usually a singer or comedy act) in the early decades of the century. A

loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...

to Spanish from French word ''matinée'' (in turn from the French ''matin'': 'morning'), the word was used in France (although not in its literal sense) to contrast from ''soirée'' (from ''soir'': 'evening') and from ''nuit'' ('night').

Features

The usual age range is 14 to 18, although some clubs admit 13-year-olds. The official schedule established by the

Government of Argentina The government of Argentina, within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. ...

is from 8 p.m. to midnight; in some provinces, the clubs must close by 11:30. The law prohibits smoking and alcoholic drinks. In practice, smoking is widespread. To circumvent the prohibition of alcohol, many young people drink at a friend's house or in a nearby park before heading to the matinee. Youngsters in Argentina call this the ''previa'' ("before") going to the club.{{citation needed, date=November 2018

References

Argentine culture Dance culture *