Quinceañeras

A quinceañera is the celebration of a Latina girl's 15th birthday. From the Spanish word quince, meaning “15,” a quinceañera marks the end of a girl's childhood and entrance into adulthood and womanhood. The term quinceañera means both the celebration itself and the 15-year-old girl. For some families, the celebration of their daughter's 15th birthday is symbolic of a girl's freedom to date and her growing responsibilities as a young woman. Today, quinceañeras are celebrated throughout Latin America and the United States in cities with large numbers of Latino people.

Some scholars believe that a girl's 15th birthday was considered highly significant to the Aztec people who ruled present-day Mexico and parts of the western United States before the arrival of the Spanish in the early half of the 16th century, indicating that contemporary celebrations owe their origins to both indigenous and Spanish–Catholic influence. Scholars have indicated that at the age of 15, a young Aztec girl was old enough to marry; however, as scholars argue, a wedding celebration and quinceañera are not one and the same and hold different meanings to Latino people. It must also be noted that many nationalities make up the label Latino, and thus there is no single way a quinceañera is celebrated. The celebrations themselves reflect each family's way of interpreting this special day.

Although some contemporary quinceañeras may be more secularized than others, certain Roman Catholic elements, such as a Mass and blessing of the quinceañera, continue to be a part of many celebrations. Some Latino families have chosen to omit a religious ceremony from the celebration, instead organizing a reception with food, dancing, and music—not unlike many wedding festivities. Yet, although a Catholic wedding is symbolic of a couple's freedom to engage in sexual intimacy, a quinceañera for many Latinos represents the girl's commitment to sexual purity until marriage.

To symbolize each of her 15 years, the quinceañera will often have 15 other young girls, known as damas, accompany her, in addition to 15 male escorts, called chambelanes. However, some quinceañeras may choose to not have damas accompany the birthday girl, which attests to the variation and diversity of contemporary celebrations. In some celebrations, the Mass begins with the entrance of the 15 damas and chambelanes, followed by the quinceañera, who is walked down the church aisle by her father or a male relative. Because the ceremony is often marked by religious symbolism, the quinceañera may choose [Page 1196]to wear a white gown to mark her purity, although it is becoming more common, and even fashionable, to wear pastel colors like pink or purple.

A girl in a pastel gown celebrates her quinceañera, or 15th birthday, surrounded by some of her male escorts, called chambelanes. For many, the celebration is symbolic of a girl's entrance into adulthood and womanhood.

Although quinceañeras are celebrated in some fashion among Latino families, factors such as economics may influence a family's decision not to celebrate. An elaborate ceremony and party, for example, may cost a family up to $20,000. A large number of Latino families do not celebrate quinceañeras, which indicates that the meaning behind the celebration is not universal or monolithic but is fluid. In addition, some Latino families may choose to mark the 15th birthday in other ways, such as buying a special gift or having a more intimate family party rather than in the form of a ceremony or reception.

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