What is it called when a girl turns 15?
Quinceañera. Quinceañera, (Spanish: “15 years [feminine form]”)also called quinceaños or quince años or simply quince, the celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday, marking her passage from girlhood to womanhood; the term is also used for the celebrant herself.
How to celebrate the Quinceanera when a Mexican girl turns 15?
The Ceremony Performed When a Mexican Girl Turns 15 1 History. The quinceanera as celebrated today comes from a variety of cultures. ... 2 Participants. A young Latina who is turning 15, called the "quinceanera," chooses a court consisting of as many as 14 other young people. 3 Religious Ceremony. ... 4 Party. ... 5 Preparation. ...
What are the godparents of a Quinceanera called?
These are usually made up of the quinceañera’s cousins and close friends – the girls are called damas and the boys are chambelanes. However, as well as including friends in the ceremony, godparents (chosen by the parents) are also typically named and involved heavily in the festivities.
Why do they give shoes at a Quinceanera?
In fact, the father of the quinceañera will often symbolically change her shoes from flats to heels before the beginning of the ceremony, to signify her transition to womanhood. Another symbolic gift is the Last Doll, representative of the quinceañera’s final childhood concern.
What do Hispanic girls have when they turn 15?
Widely celebrated among Latinos, the quinceañera marks an important milestone in a girl's life. Part birthday party, part rite of passage, it symbolizes a girl's entrance into womanhood when turning 15, traditionally showcasing her purity and readiness for marriage. But the quinceañera has also been Americanized.04-Jun-2016
What is it called when a Cuban girl turns 15?
Introduction. In the Cuban tradition of la fiesta de los quince años, a girl's 15th birthday is celebrated with a lavish, luxury-laden puberty ritual that marks her transition into a woman.
What is a quince Spanish?
quinceañera, (Spanish: “15 years [feminine form]”) also called quinceaños or quince años or simply quince, the celebration of a girl's 15th birthday, marking her passage from girlhood to womanhood; the term is also used for the celebrant herself.
What is it called when a Mexican boy turns 15?
The Quinceañero is essentially a quinceañera for guys, following many of the same quince años traditions but with a slightly different spin for males. The Quince Años celebration for boys most importantly marks the transition from child to adult at the fifteenth birthday.
Where did the word Quinceanera come from?
Derived from the Spanish words for "fifteen years," the expression "quinceanera" refers to both the celebration and to the young lady herself. Similar to girls from other Latin countries, many Mexican girls celebrate this tradition in Mexico and in the United States. The many and varied traditions of the quinceanera have a rich history.
What is the origin of the Quinceanera?
The quinceanera as celebrated today comes from a variety of cultures. The Aztecs, Mayans and Toltecs had special customs marking when a young women arrived at the age of marriage. Spanish settlers also had similar traditions as did many other nations. The quinceanera spread among Latinas in the United States starting in the 1930s, and its customs are varied and still evolving. Today's quinceanera typically combines a blessing from the Catholic Church with coming-of-age traditions.
What is the cake that the Quinceanera wears?
An ornate birthday cake is tiered and often decorated with statues of the quinceanera and her attendants. The quinceanera arrives wearing flats and changes to high heels as a symbol of her adulthood. Other rituals at the party include a toast to the girl and special dances to introduce her and crown her as a princess.
How to prepare for a Quinceanera?
Preparation for a quinceanera often starts years before the special day. Parents, godparents and grandparents help work out the details, including attire, decorations and food. Although modest celebrations are possible, family members often save for years to make the girl's dreams a reality, sometimes spending $20,000 or more. However, the party is just one aspect of the quinceanera. Church classes and family instruction prepare the girl for her duties as an adult. She also grows in maturity through the preparations and by performing her role on the special day.
What is a Quinceanera party?
The quinceanera party is a celebration with family and friends following the religious ceremony. Customs vary, but the event usually features an elaborate meal, music and dancing in a flower-filled reception hall. An ornate birthday cake is tiered and often decorated with statues of the quinceanera and her attendants. The quinceanera arrives wearing flats and changes to high heels as a symbol of her adulthood. Other rituals at the party include a toast to the girl and special dances to introduce her and crown her as a princess. Near the end of the party, she presents each guest with a souvenir ribbon from a special doll.
What is the Catholic Church's celebration of the Quinceanera?
The religious component of the celebration usually includes a procession of the quinceanera and her court into a Catholic Church, followed by a Mass. The girl renews her commitment to her faith in the presence of her parents and godparents and receives gifts, such as a Bible and medal. During the Mass, she receives a special blessing from ...
Can a girl have a blessing ceremony without a Mass?
During the Mass, she receives a special blessing from the priest. However, the girl can choose to have a blessing ceremony without a Mass. In this case, a priest or deacon performs the blessing in a Catholic Church before witnesses, including her parents and godparents. This ceremony can be simple or elaborate.
Origins
While the quinceañera celebrations may have more in common with a wedding than a birthday party, they’re a traditional and enduringly popular rite of passage for many young Latinas; turning 15 is considered a momentous occasion, as it is the moment that they symbolically become young women.
Aesthetics
Everyone is familiar with the extravagant aesthetics of many quinceañera celebrations – think over-the-top Disney Princess-esque dresses in outrageous colors (though tradition once dictated that only white dresses were the order of the day), tiaras towering atop painstakingly ringleted hairdos and precariously high heels.
Traditions
If a quinceañera is done traditionally, there are a whole variety of complex religious and symbolic elements that go into it. The first is that of attending mass prior to the reception (yes, the quinceañera celebration is very wedding-like), at which the quinceañera may receive a personalised pillow to kneel on.
Misconceptions
We’ve left out just one small detail about the quinceañera tradition, and that is the fact that using ‘quinceañera’ to refer to the party itself is a common misnomer (that we’ve employed throughout this piece!). In Spanish, quinceañera actually refers to the birthday girl, whereas the party is known as the fiesta de quince años. The more you know!
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Overview
In specific countries
In Cuba, the party may include a choreographed group dance, in which 14 couples waltz around the quinceañera, who is accompanied by one of the main dancers, a boy of her choice, or her boyfriend. The choreography often includes four or six dancers or escorts called experts, who are allowed to dance around the quinceañera. They are usually inexperienced dancers whose function is to …
Origin
Contemporary festivities combine Spanish-Catholic traditions with those of indigenous heritages and add in a few modern twists. For example: In ancient Mexico, the Aztecs and other indigenous peoples had many different ceremonies to mark the passage through the various stages of life. The quinceañera marked a young woman's transition to adulthood, as she was presented, as a virgin, to the community for probable suitors. Other origin stories attribute quinceañera history t…
Changes over the years
The meaning behind the quinceañera has become more refined over time and has been adapted by various Latino cultures in relation to where they are living.
In rural societies, girls were considered ready for marriage once they turned 15. In the 20th century, the quinceañera received certain privileges associated with womanhood: permission to attend adult parties, pluck her eyebrows and shav…
New traditions
In the 21st century, many girls create their own quinceañera celebrations. Whereas traditional dresses were formal and usually white or pink only, dress designs are now more varied. Also, instead of having the traditional seven damas and seven chambelanes, the quinceañera may pick all damas or all chambelanes. Traditionally, girls were not allowed to dance in public until turning 15, but this taboo has also receded significantly. The ceremony of the Changing of the Shoes ha…
Celebrity quinceañeras
• Eva Longoria
• Francia Raisa
• Bella Thorne
• Aimee Garcia
• Jacqueline Saburido
Quinceañera specials
Notable quinceañera-related movies and television episodes
• Wizards of Waverly Place - "Quinceañera"
• Stuck in the Middle - "Stuck In the Quinceaňera", "Stuck In a Fakeout", "Stuck In Harley's Quinceaňera"
• George Lopez - "Bringing Home the Bacon"
See also
• Bar and bat mitzvah
• Confirmation
• Cotillion ball
• Debutante
• Las Mañanitas