The quinceañera is an Aztec tradition that is carried out in many Hispanic cultures today. It is basically a large-scale birthday party for 15 year old girls. The “quince” started as a celebration of the young woman’s reaching marriageable age. At that point, the elder women would teach her cooking, weaving, and other tasks designated to women. After the European conquest of Latin America, the ceremony became more tied to the Catholic Church. This also ushered in a stronger division of classes and quinces became reserved for the upper-class, much like European debutant balls. Today, quinces are still expensive, but women of all classes are usually able to have one.
Most of the activities take place at the party, but the quince girl first visits the church for a special Mass where she is blessed by the priest and commits acts that symbolize her purity. These include pledging to protect her virginity and spiritual devotion, as well as offering a bouquet of flowers to the Virgin Mary. She then gives a doll, stuffed animal, or other childhood memento to a younger female family member. This symbolizes her separation from childhood and transition into womanhood. The presents given at the quinceañera are also significant and symbolic. She receives a prayer book, rosary, and bible for mass; a tiara for morality; a cross necklace for faith and virginity; and a ring for devotion to family, community, and God.
After the Mass, there is a party attended by coupled female (damas) and male attendants (chambelans) as well as friends and family. There are usually 14 dama and chambelan couples to symbolize the quince girl’s 14 years up until then, but modern quinceañeras may cut the number down to 7 for financial reasons. One additional chambelan attends to act as the quince girl’s escort. The chambelans wear tuxedos and the damas wear formal dresses, but the quice girl’s dress is usually the nicest by far. The dress is symbolic of her femininity and is much like an especially elaborate prom dress. Furthermore, it’s considered rude for any of the attendants or guests to wear the same color as the quince girl’s dress.
At the party, there is a banquet and a ballroom dance. The quince girl and her chambelan dance after the other attendants, but before the quince girl and her father perform the final father-daughter dance. Before they dance together, the father removes her flat soled shoes and replaces them with heels. This is her reaggregation as a woman. She walked in wearing a child’s flat-soled shoes, but leaves as a woman wearing heels.
http://users.polisci.wisc.edu/LA260/quinceanera.htm
http://www.joyfuleventsstore.com/s-9-history-of-a-quinceanera.aspx
http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/quinceanera3.htm
Most of the activities take place at the party, but the quince girl first visits the church for a special Mass where she is blessed by the priest and commits acts that symbolize her purity. These include pledging to protect her virginity and spiritual devotion, as well as offering a bouquet of flowers to the Virgin Mary. She then gives a doll, stuffed animal, or other childhood memento to a younger female family member. This symbolizes her separation from childhood and transition into womanhood. The presents given at the quinceañera are also significant and symbolic. She receives a prayer book, rosary, and bible for mass; a tiara for morality; a cross necklace for faith and virginity; and a ring for devotion to family, community, and God.
After the Mass, there is a party attended by coupled female (damas) and male attendants (chambelans) as well as friends and family. There are usually 14 dama and chambelan couples to symbolize the quince girl’s 14 years up until then, but modern quinceañeras may cut the number down to 7 for financial reasons. One additional chambelan attends to act as the quince girl’s escort. The chambelans wear tuxedos and the damas wear formal dresses, but the quice girl’s dress is usually the nicest by far. The dress is symbolic of her femininity and is much like an especially elaborate prom dress. Furthermore, it’s considered rude for any of the attendants or guests to wear the same color as the quince girl’s dress.
At the party, there is a banquet and a ballroom dance. The quince girl and her chambelan dance after the other attendants, but before the quince girl and her father perform the final father-daughter dance. Before they dance together, the father removes her flat soled shoes and replaces them with heels. This is her reaggregation as a woman. She walked in wearing a child’s flat-soled shoes, but leaves as a woman wearing heels.
http://users.polisci.wisc.edu/LA260/quinceanera.htm
http://www.joyfuleventsstore.com/s-9-history-of-a-quinceanera.aspx
http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/quinceanera3.htm
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