Why Is Quinceanera Important

Marked as a celebration of the transition from childhood to womanhood, quinceaneras have been a long-standing tradition among Latin American families. Though “quinceanera” literally means “fifteen year old girl,” the term has become more closely associated with the celebration itself, oftentimes by non-latinx people. Among Latin American families and culture, the celebration is often referred to as “fiesta de quince años” (fifteen year party) or simply a “quinces.” To avoid any confusion, I use “quinceanera” to refer to the celebration, rather than the individual, for the remainder of this paper. Historically, fifteen was seen as the age when Latina girls were ready for marriage, and the quinceanera celebrated that transition. While modern quinceaneras have drifted away from this initial intent, and now reflect more of a celebratory coming of age narrative, the marriage and wedding-related symbolism is still apparent.

As the year passed me by it gave me time to think and time to realize that it did cost money to throw such a festivity and that it’s not as important as many traditional Latinos see it. All I really needed when I turned fifteen was my family and most of all my mother who raised me to be a reasonable, smart, mature woman. What I learned from this experience was that I didn’t need a big party to know that I made the rite of passage to become a woman; all I needed was those who were close to me, responsibility and

. The day of my Quinceanera started early. I had just turned 15 and it was the birthday I had always dreamed of. I was always a dama in other Quinceanera’s, but now it was time for my own celebration. In Mexican culture, a dama is just like a bridesmaid. I had 14 of my closest friends as my dama’s to be a part of my “court of honor”. All 14 girls wore beautiful hot pink dresses and had polished hairstyles. The girls looked like beautiful dolls. When my mother was a little girl she had two Quinceanera’s. One celebration took place in Mexico and the other here in California. Looking back at my

Most people, especially girls shop for an outstanding birthday outfit to wear. No other wardrobe can relate to what you wear for your quinceañera. It is the only birthday where a Mexican girl could actually feel like a princess. She wears a beautiful crown covered in rhinestones that essentials her up do with a gorgeous scepter that contributes to the tiara. Her dress is what makes her the starlight of the night. It is big and puffy as a “Cinderella dress” embracing her figure. There is not another birthday that it is usual for a girl to wear what a quinceanera wears, and that is what makes the night distinctive from any another birthday.

Their family got together every opportunity they could. They had many traditional things they did as a family such as a gathering of family every year for her grandmother’s death, but as a celebration. Every year on Christmas Eve her family would also draw together to exchange gifts at different relative’s houses. The interviewee stated this became a tradition for her family because the married people in the family had to attend festivities at their spouses’ relatives. English and Spanish are both spoken in the Hispanics households. The majority of the older members of the family only speak Spanish. My interviewee stated that she did not know how to speak Spanish, but her mother did and fluently. She stated that her mother has always told her that she needed to know Spanish because that was her heritage, but she never felt it very necessary. The Hispanic culture celebrates the coming of age which is called a 15 or Quinceaneras. The Quinceanernas is usually a big production for the girls. The girls have escorts and dress in a formal type ballroom dress and have many of her friends and relatives there for the celebration. My interviewee stated that she did not have a Quinceaneras because she did not really get into it. She also stated that she got pregnant and did not want her parents to spend all that money for the celebration. The boys on the other hand do not go all out with this type of celebration, but instead celebrate at their

It can range from a fairytale princess, Cinderella, fairies and butterflies to precious moments in her life. And the third step is having a waltz. In most countries they have traditional customs were the quinceanera dances the first dance with her father. While dancing they play favorite quinceanera songs which are De Niña a Mujer (From Child to Woman) and La Ultima Muñeca (The Last Doll). It’s a special moment in time when the father and daughter are dancing. And the last step in having accessories for quinceanera includes dresses, tiaras, guest book, photo albums, champagne glasses, dolls, bibles, decorations and planning. In most countries in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central, and South America it’s a traditional and custom that their godparents and their parents pay for everything for her quinceanera on her fifteenth birthday. After cousin Christian finished explaining to me, she continued walking down the hall to begin to celebrate her fifteenth birthday. I told myself to never forget the first quinceanera I attended, and what she told me.

The Hispanic culture values children’s turning of age just like the American culture does. In American culture, teenagers can buy cigarettes and lottery tickets at age eighteen. At age sixteen, most American teens (depending on the state) can get a permit and begin to learn to drive. In Hispanic culture, fifteen is the chosen age; they value the girl’s fifteenth birthday because that is the age that they believe the young girl changes and becomes an adult, a woman. When the girl celebrates her fifteenth birthday, they celebrate by having a big turning-of-age ceremony and reception which they call a Quinceñera. The Quinceñera is a big event, almost like a wedding for the young girl.

The conversion from childhood to womanhood is an extremely significant event in practically any culture. This event is known as a Quinceañera, also called fiesta de quince años, fiesta de quinceañera, quince años, quinceañero or commonly known as quince which is consisted of a celebration of a girl 's fifteenth birthday with cultural roots in Latin America but celebrated all over America. Nonetheless, Hispanics, recognize this occasion by doing the celebration of a Quinceañera. The Quinceañera tradition is believed to have initiated several years ago when the Spanish conquerors initiated the tradition in Mexico while others believe the tradition began with the Aztecs. During that ancestral home of the Aztec Indians, whose empire succeeded

A Quinceanera is a celebration of a Hispanic girl turning fifteen years old. It recognizes her coming to age. It is usually a religious event. There is food, music, and dancing at the party. Many americans girl now have a sweet sixteen. This came from a Quinceanera and Americans borrowed it. Hispanic girls in America also do sweet sixteens, but they are exactly the same as Quinceanera. They still are mainly based around religion. They also still have food, music, and dancing. A Quinceanera has many other names such as,Quince Anos, a quinces, a Quinceanero, or a Fiesta Rosa. A Quinceanera is a very big deal for teenage Hispanic girls. The party is only about them. They dress up in very expensive dresses and they get to pick the food that they

Quinceanera is one of the most meaningful and beautiful occasions in Mexican culture. It embarks the celebration of girl’s fifteen birthday that is anticipated with much happiness and enjoyment. It is a celebration of womanhood means she is fully ready to take on her responsibilities and is of marriageable age. The ceremony is celebrated with zest and zeal by the parents.

A coming of age ceremony that an American girl has is called a sweet 16. A Latin American or Mexican girl has a Quinceanera. A sweet 16 is a party for a young girl turning 16. A Quinceanera is given to a girl on there 15th birthday .The two are very different but at the same time they are very alike. The two ceremonies have some similarities. First of all they both mark the transition of childhood to womanhood. They both are a form of a party or birthday celebration. These two are traditions for different cultures.

Therefore, she did not require the purification process of baptism. This holiday is usually celebrated by Holy Mass, parades, fireworks, processions, ethnic foods, and Spanish cultural festivities. This day is also generally considered a “family day” to be spent at home with your loved ones.

Although the Quinceanera is a formal rites of passage that is supposed to signify maturity and purity, in this article it is portrayed as just a fancy coming of age party that does not shape one 's identity. “It is rare that a ritual alters the way a society is organized” (Alvarez 50). At the Quinceañera Expo, Alvarez noticed little girls walking around in lustrous dresses and tiaras in their hair (Alvarez, pg. 50). The ritual is similar to the American Sweet 16 than a coming

F is for formal, festival, and fifteen. Fifteen isn’t just a number, but it is an important celebration event in the hispanic community called quinceañera. When I was the age fifteen it was when i marked to make the transition of a young women into womanhood. A quinceañrea is a huge celebration to the young women’s family, because it’s almost as important as a wedding. It takes month of planing, but I only had under a month to get everything ready. Having less than a month felt like i was a little ant roaming everything, since everything had to be rush. Everything was formal as if i was planning everything based of a princess movie like Cinderella when they were having the ball. It seemed like i was trying on about hundreds of ball gown dresses the first week. There was two things my mom, and I argued about, if the dress was too bright like if the sun was shining on me that the whole world would noticed me even from the distance, or if it was too light like driving in the middle of the night without your headlights on so nobody would even see you. After fighting like two blue jays, we finally decided over a color that was in between a cool and warm blue. Not only was a quinceañera an important event for the for me, my family, and other people that are close to me like my friends, but it was like a big festival. The whole day seems like Cinco De Mayo, because there was an important church service, and a big reception afterwards, but this time were not celebrating for winning

Planning a Mexican birthday party is no easy task. There are multiple factors that go into doing so. Not only does it require a couple days of planning, but if done poorly, it will turn out the same. In a Mexican party, one does not care about the content or what the family can provide. Rather, they care about what they can contribute to make the party happen. The same can be said for a birthday party. One does not spend weeks planning unless it is needed. Instead, you just decide on what you want, and ask for the help of all your family members who will gladly help in any way they can. It is for this reason that these birthday parties are so symbolic, because they bring family together to celebrate someone’s significant day of birth.