Rave parties are so well known among youngsters, but very few of them know the real meaning of the rave.

Lately, rave parties have received a lot of negative media attention. They have been negatively reported in some major broadcasting networks. Many people have therefore formed biased opinions towards rave parties.

Nicky Vong, a second year UMac student, went to a rave party a month ago.

"Rave parties are just a place for sex and drugs. They are the dirtiest places I have ever known," said Vong.

"I've seen someone fight with another guy in a rave party. It scared me, I would never go there again," said Chris Pun, an accountant.

However, the original rave spirit is supposed to promote peace, love, unity and respect.

The rave means the large outdoor dancing parties that go on all night. It started in Manchester, England during the mid-80's.

The original intention of the rave is to maintain a place where people of all races, religions, ethnic backgrounds, and cultures can meet up and enjoy synthesized music. Ravers can range anywhere from around 100 people to 30,000.

The rave is said to be the real combination of modern and dance music. Its music genres include House, Drum 'n' Bass, Garage, Trance, Trip Hop, Techno, Ambient and Break Beats.

In a rave party, a Disc Jockey (DJ) is extremely important. A brilliant DJ will be considered a wizard who, through the special technique in playing the discs, uses music to lead the mental condition of ravers.

The rave party was first introduced to Macau in 1999. In spite of the negative impression towards the rave party, there are still youngsters who enjoy going to this activity and many of them are deeply attracted to it.

"I remembered that the first time I went to a rave party, the monotonous and thunderous beats captured my body and my heart. My limbs uncontrollably followed the beats to move, and my soul could feel the unimaginable peace. The anxious feelings in my heart were suddenly released, the feeling was just like 'cleaning out all the rubbish in my heart'," said Antonio Santos, an office clerk.

According to Santos, there are four traditional spirits of the rave: P-L-U-R: Peace, Love, Unity and Respect.

"When ravers enter the rave, there is a sense of unity, a sense of a big circle of friends that one could not have previously imagined," said Santos.

"We do not want war or violence. Instead, we want peace through love and respect," Santos expressed.

"I can relax myself in rave parties. It is very easy for me to make friends," said Tony Chan, a third year UMac student.

"The rave music is so unique that makes me forget all the outside world," Chan added.

Joanna Mak, a flight attendant, has been attracted to rave parties since last year.

"I can get away from my stress and my everyday problems and just go to a place of universal acceptance, where I can do whatever I want to express myself and no one will care," Mak explained.

"If people come to know that the original idea of rave parties emphasizes peace, love, unity and respect, they will surely change the bad impression of rave," said Santos.

The spirit of rave should not only exist in the rave, it should also apply to the whole world.

"I want to spread the P-L-U-R spirit not only to the people I know, but also to the people I do not know," said Santos. 
 
 
 
 

People can easily relax themselves through dancing.