Studniówka - hundred days before exams

Tonight is Moni's Big Night. One hundred days before the matura exams which bring school education to a close, pupils traditionally hold a big ball, to inaugurate a final period of intensive revision.

This then, is the Studniówka, a rite of passage, something all young Poles (other than that tiny minority of high school drop-outs) experience.

For girls - a chance to look glamorous. For boys, it is often the time for their first suit - for this is a formal do, which starts with a Polonaise (Polonez) dance.

The event will last until 5am, so I'm sure madamki will not be waking up too early tomorrow morning.

Why Moni's pose? Less to do with drying nail varnish, more to do with the series of photos taken on her first day of each subsequent school year. See the full sequence here - from 1997 to 2010.

This time last year:
In search of the Seat of Consciousness

This time two years ago:
The big melt: Dobra in the thaw

This time three years ago:
The year's Most Depressing Day