Quinceanera

by Imelda Gonzalez, posted on 2008-11-02 18:10:04

By Imelda Gonzalez

 

Every young Latina dreams of celebrating her Quinceanera. Imagining herself wearing the perfect ball gown, having the perfect ceremony and being the most beautiful girl in the world. Most parents want the same dream to come true for their little girl. So, in order to have such a dream come true, her parents start planning it at the age of 13 ½ without a minor detail to be left out.

My case was a bit different. Coming from a family of twelve children (seven of us girls) our parents couldn’t afford to give us each a Quinceanera. My older sisters pleaded with our parents, (especially my dad), to celebrate mine. They promised that they would help pay for it as well as get padrinos for most of the ceremony. Finally, after about a month of sweet talking him, he agreed.

You may wonder why it’s such a big deal to celebrate a girl’s fifteenth birthday. Why not Fourteen? In our tradition, when a girl turns fifteen, it means that she has now turned into a Senorita. She has now reached maturity.

The celebration starts with La Misa, The Mass. During the mass the Quinceanera is presented with traditional gifts including the crown, bible, necklace, ring, & the doll. All these gifts have a special meaning.

The crown:

Symbolizes the Quinceanera as becoming a princess in front of God and all that surround her.

The bible:

Is a symbol of resources to keep God in her life.

The necklace:

Is a symbol of her faith.

The ring:

Is a symbol of her infinite dedication to society.

The doll:

Is a symbol of her last doll as a child.

After the Mass has ended, the Quinceanera, her sponsors, court (usually seven girls and seven boys) and guests go on to the reception, which is then followed by a night full of dancing and celebrating.

The best thing I remember about my Quinceanera, besides La Misa, was having camera flashes flickering on me and being followed by video cameras the whole day. That made me feel like a Princess. My dream was realized.

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