Quinceanera traditions, processes explained

Growing up and transitioning from childhood to womanhood is celebrated in cultures. However, in the Latino culture, this remarkable event is celebrated when a girl turns 15 in the form of a Quinceanera. A Quinceanera is the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday (and transition into womanhood) in the form of party and/or mass. Quinceanera’s consist of many parts/traditions and is complicated to plan out.

A Quinceanera can be planned out in many ways. There are many steps and events that you have to organize It is best to plan out ahead so that you don’t run into any problems or inconveniences. Some consider planning one year before is the best amount of time needed to plan out the party.

The first step in planning one out is setting a budget. You have to have an idea of how much you want to spend not just on the individual party, but also other things like the dress, drinks, centerpieces, etc.. You must think ahead and plan out the price range you are looking for when it comes to buying those items.

Another important step is choosing the place, date and time. It is important to reserve and think ahead of these things because you want to make sure you have a place to throw the party. When you choose the place you must think about how many people you are inviting to the party. It is smart to plan the guest list before or after choosing a place.

The next step is choosing a dress. Choosing a dress is a long and very thoughtful process. Choosing the right dress and color is important because you want to choose a color and dress that you like. You also want to make sure it fits, so make sure you grab a size that is not too big or too small and to take precautions. You must also make sure to maintain a balanced diet so that you won’t gain or lose too much weight to the point where your dress will not fit when the time comes. Some of the most popular colors in Quinceanera dress colors(among Airport High School Students) are pink, aqua, red, gold, tiffany blue, purple, and mint green.

A quinceanera’s dress is a major concept. It will be what the quinceanera will be wearing on her big day and it should make a type of fashion statement. The dress should reflect the quinceanera’s personality and should relate in some way, shape or form to the theme of the party. Along with the dress, there are many accessories a Quinceanera can use on her big day. Most people have the quinceanera wear a tiara which is symbolic of the achievement made when turning fifteen and how the quinceanera can now face the challenges in life. To match with the tiara and dress, some quinceanera’s wear necklaces, earrings, rings, and carry a flower bouquet. Sometimes, if they have a religious ceremony, they may get their tiara, flower bouquet, and rings blessed as a type of form to show their faith in god and the world around them.

After choosing a dress and its accessories, you must pick a theme. Although it is not necessary to have a theme, it is important to have an idea of how the environment should look or feel(Paris theme, Princess Theme, Peacock Theme,etc.). In most dress stores, they offer packets in which you can buy the dress you need with other important accessories and decorations. Usually, the store has examples of previous parties they have helped out in which makes it easier to pick.

The next step is to plan out who will be your padrinos or sponsors. Padrinos or sponsors are people who will help you plan out and buy certain items for the party. They are usually family members or friends who are willing to help out and pitch in.

After choosing the Padrinos you can choose and order important items like the centerpieces, balloons, decorations, invitations, and party favors. With the theme and dress color, it should be easier to choose out these items. A few months before the party it is also very important to reserve the cake, know what type of food you will be serving, and have a DJ or band reserved for the music or entertainment. Photoshoots can also be taken a few months prior and be used to decorate the venue.

The cake served in a quinceanera usually matches in some form with the theme of the party. The food served in a quinceanera usually consist of traditional Latin American cuisines. The food is similar to the types of food served in big catering events. The cake is usually cut after most people are done eating and after most of the traditional rituals/dances are done.

A quinceanera’s court of honor is the people who accompany her in her entrances and dances. It is usually comprised of young boys and girls, the boys usually wear tuxedos and the girls wear gowns that match or relate to the theme. The court averagely consists of 15 people. The dances are generally chosen and practiced with the court and take place until before or after the father-daughter dance(depends on the way it was planned).

Another dance that has to be chosen is the father-daughter dance. The dance is performed towards the beginning of the party after the changing of the shoes(ceremony in which the father changes the daughter's shoes to high heels to signify her change from childhood to womanhood). The dance is supposed to be a symbol of how the quinceanera is now considered women and how her first dance as women should be with her father. The song played during the father-daughter dance is usually very emotional and talks about the quinceanera growing up (most people cry). After the Quinceanera’s first dance the guest are invited to the dance floor.

Another important and symbolic item given to a quinceanera during the party is her last doll. The last doll is a medium sized doll that is supposed to be an almost exact replica of the quinceanera. The doll can sometimes be plastic or porcelain, but it always has on a dress similar to the quinceanera’s dress. The doll also symbolizes the transition from childhood to womanhood and is supposed to be the last doll the quinceanera receives. It is usually given before the father daughter dances.

To recapitulate the traditional reception schedule: first the reception can begin in a church or at the venue in a religious ceremony where the quinceanera is given blessed items and is crowned, then the quinceanera makes her entrance which can then be followed by her father-daughter dance, her dance with her court of honor, or the changing of the shoes, then the last doll is then given, a toast is afterward made or the food is then served, a surprise dance may then be performed(by the quinceanera alongside her court), and then the party continues until the guests leave. This is not always the order in which the parties events may happen but it is the typical way most parties occur.

In Airport High School, there are many students who have had quinceanera parties. Paola Rafael-Perez, a freshman here at Airport High School who had her quinceanera party last year, said that one of the biggest events of the night at her party was the father-daughter dance. She said it “was a very emotional moment." Cecilia Castillo, a senior here at Airport High School, remembers her party “like if it was yesterday." Cecilia was the “oldest in her family out of her cousins” which is why she “was the first to have a quinceanera." Her family helped out and everyone contributed in some way to help. Everything was “easier” and planning it all “wasn’t as overwhelming as she thought."

I know most of the traditions and rituals in a quinceanera becuase I will be having one in June and because of previous quinceaneras I have attended. The planning process can be hard and frustrating at times, but when you see everything you have done and how all of it will be worth it at the end, everything will be easier and you will feel a lot better. I bought my dress in Atlanta,Georgia in a mall called Plaza Fiesta because there was a wider variety of dresses available. The color I chose for my dress was mint green because it is a color that has become popular this season and because the dress looked amazing.. The jewelry (necklace, bracelet, earrings), tiara, shoes, and flower bouquet was bought all at the same time when I bought the dress because it was more convenient. The theme I chose for the party was a Paris Theme because it is a widely used theme. Me and my family have worked hard on coordinating the dances and ordering the equipment we will be using like the decorations and lights and the items we need to make the centerpieces. We almost entirely made the centerpieces by hand because we could not find the type we wanted in the color we wanted(they are pictured below the article).

The quinceanera tradition is believed to have been started by the aztec civilizations around 500 B.C. according to reference.com. CNN says that in the past it would introduce girls to society and signify that they were ready for marriage, but now days it is all more elaborate and signifies the transition from childhood to womanhood. NYfolklore.org says that both the mass and the party are full of symbolic gestures and movements used to represent the transition. Although the meaning of a quinceanera used to be different, changes in customs and modernization has changed the meaning and significance of the quinceanera tradition.

Although there are not many quinceanera dress stores here in Columbia, there are always other ways to buy a quinceanera dress and to plan it out. Catz Formals is located on 2224 Airport Blvd, West Columbia and is a store with an excellent variety of dresses and dress catalogs. For a bigger variety of dress it is best to go to Atlanta, Georgia where you can physically see a larger variety of dresses. Plaza Fiesta (4166 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30345) is a mall in Atlanta where there are many quinceanera dress stores to serve the city's large international population. Usually at the stores they offer package deals where you can not only buy the dress but also buy other necessary items like the tiara, jewelry, flower bouquet, etc.

Pictured above is the dress I will be using for my quinceanera. The color is mint green and as you can see on the picture on the right the top part of the dress is very decorated/beaded.

The picture above are examples of traditional accessories a quinceanera uses: the tiara, necklace, earrings, the rosary beads (used when praying in the church) and the high heels. These will be the accessories I will be using for my own quinceanera.

This next picture is my “last doll." Its dress has features very similar to my dress and symbolizes the end of my childhood and emergence into a young adult who will no longer play with dolls.

Next is the guest book, photo album, Bible, and two pillows needed to carry the crown and shoes when being given to me.

Perhaps the most important accessory is shown below. It is the main big centerpiece that is supposed to be near the table where the quinceanera I will be seated. The Eiffel Tower is in the middle of the platform since the party's Paris themed and there are decorated glass cups that will be used when the family makes a toast celebrating the party. The doll is a second doll that is just there for decoration.

These last two photos are some of the center pieces we are going to use. My family and I had to completely make them from scratch because the ones we wanted were not in the color we needed them in. We are going to have 2 types of centerpieces with lights, one is going to be an Eiffel tower and the other one is going to be a flower vase. The flower vases are not completely done in the picture but most of them are almost complete. We made them by cutting and gluing flowers to a Styrofoam ball and then wrapping bling around the vase. We also glued a light to the bottom of the flowers to make the bling and rocks inside shine. The Eiffel Tower is on top of a round mirror base and has a light and petals decorating the bottom along with cups the guests will use for the toast.

As you can see, an extremely large amount of time and effort goes into planning a quinceanera. It is a staple of Latina culture and a very significant occasion in the life of a young girl.

Hopefully, my celebration is as special and as memorable as I imagine.