Quinceañera

In its most simple definition, a quinceañera refers to a young woman's 15th birthday party to celebrate her coming of age. The Spanish word quince (15) added to añera means “the 15-year-old,” but the term quinceañera refers to both the girl turning 15 and the party associated with this [Page 1773]birthday. Quinceañeras are observed throughout Latin America and in many areas of the United States. Some claim that the quinceañera is traditionally rooted in pre-Columbian cultural practices, with the celebration marking a young woman's entrance into womanhood or achievement of of marrying age. However, the concrete evidence for this is lacking. Contemporary roots for the quinceañera span from European (Spanish influence) to cultural heritage that has simply been “passed down” through generations. Today, the celebration marks an entrance into womanhood. It is not usually accompanied by marriage, but rather marks an opportunity to begin dating and participating in traditional womanly activities like wearing makeup and high heels.

A girl in a traditional white dress poses with family members during a quinceañera—a traditional ceremony for a girl's 15th birthday celebrated by Latin Americans, Mexicans, and Latinos in the United States. In addition to family and godparents, other celebrants often include 14 female maids and their 14 male escorts. The average cost for a quinceañera is $5,000.

Because they are still seen as a coming-out party these events can become quite costly and extravagant. There are several cultural practices associated with the event that mark the young girl's entrance into being a woman in her community that may shift because of the family/community geographic location, class status, and/or religious background.

Although a quinceañera is not a religious sacrament, many parties have a strong religious influence and the members of the quinceañera party will attend a mass prior to the celebration. Due to this, as well as the large numbers of people associated with the celebrations, observers sometimes liken quinceañeras to weddings.