Quinceanera Tradition Essay

The Quinceanera tradition, is an initiation and recognition for a young girls’ journey from childhood to womanhood. This tradition has been around for years, and it is celebrated in the Latin America culture. It really does not matter if the family is poor or rich to celebrate this ritual initiation. Some of the most important factors for a Quinceanera are, the Mass or blessing at the church, the sophisticated dress, and the unique party and waltz.

Journalists and other nonfiction writers alike occasionally provide accounts of real life traditions and events that occur in various cultures. These important events are often emphasized by underlining them through sequential and descriptive structure, along with direct quotations from the participants of the event. In the news article, “Quinceanera Birthday Bash Preserves Tradition, Marks Passage to Womanhood”, author Natalie St. John uses the aforementioned to highlight and depict the details of a quinceañera and its significance in the Mexican culture and community.

A Quinceañera is a popular rite of passage ceremony in Mexico, celebrated exclusively by girls. The term comes from the Spanish words quince and años, which mean fifteen and years (cf. Barbezat n.p.). As the name says it stands for a girl turning 15, which marks the end of childhood and symbolizes the start of a new life chapter as a grown woman (cf. Avila García). Important features of the celebration are family, womanhood and integrating the girl in the community as a new adult. Furthermore, the Quinceañera is now also ready to take responsibilities, make her own decisions and has more rights than she had before turning 15, for example driving a car. She is gaining liberty with her 15th birthday, and is about to make new experiences, like

Hispanics are widely known for their festivals, which consist of bright colors and celebration. A common celebration that is thrown is called a quinceanera, which is a coming of age party thrown for a girl turning fifteen. The family goes all out and the average cost is anywhere between $5000 to $20000.(HIspanic Traditions) She wears a pastel colored dress, receives a quinceanera doll, dances with male family members, and receives gifts. She will choose fourteen male friends and fourteen female friends to escort her to the dance, they are called damas and chambelanes. This traditional event is meant for most hispanic girls, but because of the expenses a majority of families only throw one for the eldest daughter. The American version is a sweet sixteen, where a party

. 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

All birthdays are special. Birthdays celebrate life and the passing of time. In a young Mexican girl life, there is no birthday more important then her quinceañera. The quinceañera is a celebration of a girl’s journey into womanhood. The story of my fifteenth birthday is contributed for a better understanding of how special it is to celebrate a girl’s transformation into a lady, and how it differs from any other birthday she celebrates.

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.

In Spanish-speaking communities in the United States, girls do still have a Quinceanera, but it has to be altered in the way that it is done. There are many people that do not speak Spanish in the U.S., so there’s has to be a way to coordinate these people into the celebration, since mostly even have the English Language in common. Invitations for Quinceanera are made both in Spanish and In English. The invitations that are in English might read “Sweet 15” instead of a Quinceanera. Traditions that are done during the ceremony might not be done, they might be done before the ceremony. A young girl may chose to have a “Sweet 16” instead of the traditional Quinceanera. A “Sweet 16” is the coming of age party in the United

It is customary for all Latin American cultures to celebrate a coming of age party for their daughters called a quinceanera. Parents commemorate their beloved daughter’s transition from being a little girl to becoming a fifteen year old young lady by inviting family and friends to join in this huge event. A modern day young lady is celebrated with a ceremony, grand party with extravagant decorations, exquisite food, memorable toasts form the godparents, and usually wrapped up with a funky dance. Every little girl awaits the day when she will be treated and given the attention of a princess for a day. It was my pleasure to attend my cousin Daira’s quinceanera, and witness my first quinceanera in Mexico.

A Quinceanera is when a girl finally turns into a woman. The grandparents and the family members are the most important people there (other than the birthday girl of course). They’re supposed to give her a Bible and a locket with a picture of the Virgin Mary inside of it. When the girl turns 15, she could start dating. At some point they have a father-daughter dance.

After the religious ceremony ended we headed to my friend’s Uncle’s to continue the next stage of the quinceañera. Some of these galas are similar to weddings where you have the father putting on an enormous display of wealth and prosperity for vanity’s sake. For the not so financially well off, the celebration itself is sometimes considered the gift. I was privy to the latter. I was completely amazed at the turnout of family members. Not only the sheer numbers who attended, but the distance that some of them

A quinceanera is a tradition of celebrating a hispanic young girl’s coming of the age 15. At the quinceanera i will be wearing a blue ball gown. It will also have a tiara and a prayer book.. There will also be a unicorn Pinata!! The court that i will have will be wearing light pink gowns and black tuxedos. All of the family members from where ever we have them will be attending. Unless they are sick or some other reason like a family matter or something. The guests will be receiving tokens, to attend the celebration. The events will include very good food and music, and a waltz or dance performed by me, my court and my parents . The food at my quinceanera will

My friend's Quinceañera, like my sweet sixteen's, was a large celebration treated with traditional value. Large celebrations held in the honor of young girls transitioning into womanhood. Traditional gateways that our elders guide us through with presents and festivity. These are things that both me and Nicole note to be a "big deal." At least, both of our families treat the holidays with the same sort of importance.

In Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, North and South America, quinceaneras is a custom for girls which allow them to celebrate their 15th birthday. The celebration starts with a ceremony and then its continued with a reception at home or a banquet hall ( The Quinceanera Tradition). The guests that attend include the girl's family and close friends of all ages. It's traditional for the Quinceanera to have a court with people who she is close too like her cousins, sisters, brothers or very close friends. It can be a combination of all girls and boys or only girls or only boys. It’s normally traditional for the Quinceanera to receive a tiara, a medal, a bible or prayer book and rosary, and a scepter. Other accessories for this special occasion might be: Flower Bouquet, Cake Decoration, Cake server set, Champagne glasses, The last doll, Guest book, Photo album, Invitations/reception cards, Ceremony pillows and guest favors ( The Quinceanera Tradition). There's a very important event with the father or favorite male relative that changes the Quinceaneraś flat shoes to her high heels. This is an amazing way to symbolize the transformation of a little girl to a young

In Mexico, my mother never had her Quinceanera because of her family’s socioeconomic status, so she saved up enough money with my dad to guarantee I lived the dream she never experienced. When I was five years old, my mom hosted a mini-Quinceanera, making sure I fluttered around in a blue, long dress and danced with the boys of my preschool class. A Quinceanera has four components: the big dress every Hispanic girl dreams to be in, a big salon the Quinceanera dances in, the court of honor, and of course the overall significance of the Hispanic teenager becoming a woman. Ten years later, I fluttered around my red, bigger and longer dress, with small pearls on my corset. At the end of the night, my father placed heels on my feet to represent