Candy raver

A candy raver (sometimes "kandy raver", "kandi raver", "Candee Child", "candykid", or "kandi kid") is a rave attendee who exchanges or shares small gifts, primarily beads, necklaces, bracelets, or stickers.

Candy ravers are most widely known (and sometimes identified) by their brightly coloured, often childish or even cartoony fashions, such as day-glo phat pants, black light reactive or glow-in-the-dark gear, and t-shirts featuring cartoon characters. Almost all can be spotted wearing a large number of homemade bracelets of plastic beads, known as "kandi". The bracelets are often given as gifts to remember past raves and commemorate new friendships.

Origins of the culture

Candy ravers can primarily trace their style of fashion to the late 1980s culture and the "Summer of Love" in the United Kingdom. Fashion in clubs at the time were primarily day-glo colored attire, smiley face clothing, and whistles.

Many spelling variants occur throughout the rave scene when referring to this subculture, although the actual origins of the term are unknown. Use of the term on Usenet alt.rave shows earliest reference to the spelling "candee" [Usenet post dated [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.rave/browse_thread/thread/d310424105c4d0e9/77349a02afa00738?lnk=gst&q=candee&rnum=31#77349a02afa00738 October 4, 1998] ] . With alternates "kandy" [Usenet post dated [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.rave/browse_thread/thread/b17defeac4509b94/ec1e830fd3785603?lnk=gst&q=kandy&rnum=114#ec1e830fd3785603 December 30, 1998] ] , "kandi" [Usenet post dated [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.rave/browse_thread/thread/2ad154b91f9aa02b/bb2722319a423f16?lnk=gst&q=kandi&rnum=32#bb2722319a423f16 March 30, 1999] ] , "candi" [Usenet post dated [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.rave/browse_thread/thread/a0302064f0cc3ae4/9451cca70f2807ad?lnk=gst&q=candi&rnum=11#9451cca70f2807ad April 1, 1999] ] , "candy" [Usenet post dated [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.rave/browse_thread/thread/bed3581846ee7378/79e0adf47dc9bcbb?lnk=gst&q=candy&rnum=999#79e0adf47dc9bcbb October 16, 2000] ] , following later.

Several of the Hyperreal mailing lists have posts predating the use on usenet such as this one by Vladimir Katz dated October 21, 1994:

Beadwork

The Making Of

Kandy (or "kandi") is generally made of plastic pony beads with various other beads. Heart and star shapes, pom-pom beads, letter beads, and glow-in-the-dark beads are popular choices when making kandi and are generally made with elastic string to stretch. Candy ravers will sometimes hold parties just for the sake of making kandi, generally as gifts for friends.

Kandi has two main functions.

Visual effect

The first is the visual effect that kandi creates. They are usually very bright day-glo colors chosen especially for the purpose of the visual effects created when someone dances wearing them while being illuminated by different types and colours of lights. The sequence of colors chosen will often appear jumbled and somewhat random but the beads are typically chosen to contrast with other beads making them visually jump out. Some beads will also be UV reactive and glow in the dark.

Community

The second function of kandi is a gift that a raver will give or swap with new friends, and new ravers they have just met. In the rave culture of certain areas, this exchange will be performed by connecting fingers with the recipient of the gift and sliding it from their own arm to the other's, otherwise known as a 'kandi kiss'.

References