Quinceañera Traditions

Quinceañeras In several different Latino-American countries and cultures, when a person becomes 15 it is perhaps the most significant event worthy of a huge celebration. There is a history to quinceañera that is generally tied with religion, although the religious aspect of a Quinceañera is not always practiced today. In the Unite States many families of Latino decent are also beginning to infuse the American Sweet Sixteen with the traditional Quinceañera. Although Quinceañeras are not always as traditional now as they were in the past, they are still a very important time in a girl’s life.
The roots of Quinceañeras go back to the indigenous tribes of Mexico such as the Mayas, Incas, Aztecs, and so on, who all had traditional ceremonies when girls turned a specific age depending on the tribe itself. After this ceremony they would begin training for what their place was to be in the tribe and to be available for marriage. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico they adopted this tradition for the age of fifteen. In fact, the word quince in Quinceañera means fifteen in Spanish. The Spaniards made this tradition for girls to transition into womanhood, sharing the Native’s customs of readying the young woman to be married, have children, learn to cook and handle the kitchen, and to keep the whole house well kept. The Spanish also incorporated the religious aspect to …show more content…
Perhaps the most common is the changing of the shoes. The father will go up to his daughter and change her flats into high heels symbolizing her becoming a woman. Another tradition is the last doll. This doll is a representation of the Quinceañera letting go of childlike ways and beginning to put her focus on her new life as a woman. In some families this last doll will be passed on and given to a younger sister by the Quinceañera, again, to symbolize her moving on to