Quinceanera Celebration

Improved Essays
In Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common that when a girl turns fifteen her family throws her a Quinceañera. The Quinceañera is like a “Sweet 15” or in American culture a “Sweet 16”. A Quinceañera is referred to as a mini boda or a miniature wedding. This celebrates the maturity of the young adult. Since this is a religious celebration it is expected that the young adult will live a life full of honesty and dedication to God. The celebration takes place in a church and then a reception at the family's home or a reception hall. The celebration itself is called a Quinceañera and the birthday girl is called the Quinceanera as well.
The Quinceañera began taking place in European cultural traditions among the Aztec Indians because in that time
…show more content…
She selects fifteen people, including her parents, siblings, neighbors and friends and dedicates a candle to each of them. During this, she will give a speech, about how each of those individuals helped her to achieve maturity and how they are special to her. This is typically the most emotional part of the whole celebration. Another popular ceremony is the Changing of the Shoes. The father changes the young girl's flat shoes to high heels. This is a symbol of the Quinceanera's transformation from a little girl to a young lady. After all the ceremonial traditions it is time to let loose and have fun and celebrate the accomplishes of the …show more content…
One important thing it signifies is she is officially allowed to date. And in historical context, it meant she was ready to marry at fifteen. The gifts given by the attendees and the family have symbolic meaning to the quinceanera as well as aspects of the Quinceañera celebration. The Quinceañera celebration itself is a large gift from the parents of the birthday girl. The gown that she wears shows her femininity and style. The rings she is given represents her bond with God, her family, and her community.
The typical gifts given to the quinceanera are a Bible, scepter, tiara/crown, and a cross. The symbolism behind the Bible is a resource for following God's word.The cross signifies the faith in God, herself and her world while showing her devotion to the Catholic church. The crown replaces a headband and shows her as a “princess” before God and as a step over childhood and into the real world to face challenges. Lastly, the scepter symbolizes authority and responsibility for her life now as a young

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Have you ever been to or even know what a quinceanera is? A quinceanera is a celebration of a young girl becoming 15. A quinceanera is very important to a teenaged girl because it resembles a young girl becoming a woman. People think that quinceanera is just a party for fun but in reality it is a party that is sometimes very emotional for parents.…

    • 327 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chauncey Neboyia

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages

    For this ceremony, family from all over comes by to celebrate and help with the ritual. The ceremony lasts about four days. The first day is gathering corn and grinding it to help make the cake for the end of the ceremony. The next day is spent with the girl running as far as she can with the other children following behind her. The third day is when the rest of the family comes to help.…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After the waltz with her court there is a toast (brindis) with champagne made by the father or male figure where guests are invited to offer their felicidades (congrats) and best wishes. Last but not least,…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Latin American culture regards a “Quinceañera” as an adolescent girl’s entrance into womanhood at the tender age of 15 (“quince años” meaning 15 years of age/15 years old). Traditionally, this coming-of-age celebration was intended “to introduce girls to society and signify they were ready for marriage” (Quinceañera: Coming of age in a bad economy by Nancy Lofholm of The Denver Post). Nowadays, this momentous occasion recognizes girls as women who are capable of wearing makeup and dating.…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Quinceañera Tradition

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Quinceañeras developed in Aztec culture in Mesoamerica around 500B.C. What’s special about this rite of passage is that it symbolizes a young girl's path into womanhood once they turn into the age of 15, thus receiving the term ‘quinceañera’ meaning ‘fifteen year old female’. According to Wikipedia.org (lastly edited on October 27, 2016), in the year prior to a young woman’s fifteenth birthday, she is taught how to cook, weave, and about child bearing by older women in their communities. In addition, before giving away the young woman, the women in the communities engage in activities that instruct the girl in her duties and responsibilities, urging her to follow the right path in life. This kind of immense celebration today varies significantly across the globe.…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Mariachi Research Paper

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages

    After mass, the mariachi group began to play as we were exiting out of the church and headed to the hall, since the hall was right next door to the church. No one in the group was singing just yet but playing a music that was not too loud but very jubilant. The group had matching outfits, in which they were all dressed in white with silver galas on the side of their pants and jackets. As everyone was getting their food, the mariachi continued playing, but a bit louder. After a while, the quincenera went to the middle of the hall and sat down on a chair while the mariachi played music for her in honor of her birthday.…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Quinceañera was the great transition to adulthood for my best friend. My cousin was thrown into growing up at a young age when both of his parents passed away. My immediate family prides themselves in hard work and ethic. So my transition into adulthood was not a grand party nor has it been a traumatic. Since hard work is my family motto, my transition into adulthood has been becoming a productive member of society and working.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Quinceanera

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages

    It is a tradition and most Hispanics teenager girls to have a Quinceanera, a party celebrating their 15th birthday. Religiously this ceremony this important because it consists of giving God thanks for his blessings. If I decided not to have a quinceanera my parents wouldve be able and have the opportunity and experience the different acts during the ceremony. Although, I have a younger brother, it is very uncommon for boys to have a Quinceanera, since these ceremonies usually symbolizes womanhood. Quinceanera are expensive, and make it cheaper for the parents the costs are usually distributed between family members and godparents, but they all lives in the Dominican Republic, so my parents would’ve responsible of all costs.…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Quinceanera Tradition

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages

    After the ceremony is over everyone will then go into the kitchen and have what we call a “Comida” which translates to food. Everyone will then eat; then attend the dance/party. This is when the young woman will make a grand entrance with her damas and chambelanes. Which are basically 10 boys and 10 girls; they enter the ball room with the waltz that is choreographed. Then at the end of the waltz the young woman will make her grand entrance.…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    That just made my plans crumble. Since moving ruined how my planning was going, once the time for me to actually planned I left it up to my mom. She picked everything but my color scheme. In the Hispanic community a Quinceañera is a big deal, it marks your transition from childhood to adulthood. The most important…

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Embracing My Quinceanera

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Embracing your culture can show you things that you never knew about yourself or your culture. The moment that I embrace my culture was when I had my quinceanera. Having my quinceanera taught me things about myself and about my culture that I never knew about. A quinceanera is when a Chicana / Latina teenager turns 15 and it is a passage to womanhood. She has a big party to celebrate her and her passage of becoming a woman called a quinceanera.…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Salvadoran Culture

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I celebrated my Quinceañera with many traditions through out the celebration. I attended a mass ceremony. During the reception, I toss what is called my last doll. I tossed it towards group girls who were under fifteen year old.…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Apache Dance Essay

    • 1397 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The commencement of the ceremony involves the girl being dressed by her godmother. The first piece that is placed on the young girl is a fringed buckskin cape that represents fertility. A feather is placed in her hair for longevity, and a T-necklace for a lifetime of wealth. “An important ritual item that the initiate must have in her possession for the 4-day dance is the wooden staff or cane (gish ih zha ha). The cane has eagle feathers (representative of protection) and oriole feathers (symbolic of a good, happy disposition) attached to it; these are also reflective of the hope for long life” (Markstorm).…

    • 1397 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It was June 28, 2014, the day of my Quinceanera, the day I had been waiting for since I turned fourteen. After several months of planning and practicing the dances, my big day was finally here. I woke up early in the morning to shower and wait for the makeup and hair stylist to arrive. I was tired. I hadn't been getting much sleep due to the last minute details and being too excited to even worry about sleep.…

    • 1879 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In my heritage, when a girl reaches the age of fifteen there family throws a symbolic party for them, the celebration is called Quinceañera. It is viewed as a way in which a girl becomes a woman. The photo above was taken during my Quinceañera in August about a little over a year ago. This is viewed as a girl’s true becoming interconnected with the outside world. Before reaching of age, girls are viewed as a humble and fragile object that needs the care of the family to survive.…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays