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When boys and girls reach
a certain age, they make a transition from childhood into
adulthood. This is also referred to as a "right of passage" which
signifies that they are ready to move into the new stage of their
life. Depending on culture and religious belief, the right of
passage is referred to with a variety of different symbolic
meanings.
For Latino families around the
world, they refer to the right of passage for Latin girls as a
Quinceañera. A Quinceañera is a celebration that signifies a Latin
girl's fifteenth birthday. The name Quinceañera was formed around
1521, after the Spanish conquered the Aztecs. At that time, the
Catholic religion was meshed together with the initiation rites of
the Aztecs. The Aztecs believed that fifteen marked a time of
decision making for young women.
A Quinceañera celebration can either be a small
family celebration where the birthday girl wears a special gown
and follows the Catholic traditions of her church. Or it can be a
very large celebration as elaborate as a wedding celebration. Most
Latin families plan the fancier more elaborate Quinceañera
celebrations. Planning for the larger celebrations needs to be
started at least one year in advance. A lot of the same
preparations need to be made as if you were planning a wedding:
the church, the date, the hotel for the dance, food, music,
flowers, tuxedos and most importantly, the dresses.
The Quinceañera normally chooses 14 close
friends to represent each year of her life and she represents the
fifteenth. Her fourteen friends are referred to as her damas. Each
dama is matched with a young boy who is referred to as their
escort. The fourteen girls and fourteen escorts are called the
court of honor.
On the day of the Quinceañera, it begins with
the religious ceremony in the church. It symbolizes the
Quinceañera coming of age. The young woman reaffirms the promise
of her religious faith. The Quinceañera changes her shoes from the
flat-soled shoes she entered the church with into a pair of high
heels. Normally, the high heels are presented to her on a fancy
pillow and she changes her shoes at the altar in front of all of
her guests. This changing of the shoes signifies her change from
childhood into woman hood.
The dance and reception follow. At the dance
after the religious ceremony the young woman makes a grand
entrance to meet all of her invited guests. The Quinceañera dances
with her father first and then with her escort. After this dance
starts, her court of honor joins in and then all of her invited
guests. At the end of the party, after all of the eating, dancing
and celebrating, the guests are given a small token to remind them
of the special Quinceañera.
What a wonderful way to celebrate a special time
in a young woman's life as she embarks the journey into her new
life as a woman! |
