When a girl turns fifteen years old in many parts of Latin America her family throws her a special birthday party. Both the girl and the party may be referred to la quinceañera. This term comes from the number fifteen in Spanish which is quince. This age traditionally signified when a girl turned into a young woman. The closest equivalent in North American culture would be a debutantes ball.
The celebration begins with a church mass, or misa, in which the young woman is accompanied by her family and fourteen friends coupled off into seven pairs. These friends represent the first fourteen years of her life. The girls are referred to as damas and their male chaperones are known as chambelanes. They may be friends, classmates or even cousins. Everyone is dressed in their finest and the birthday girl generally wears a white, pink or pastel ballgown and a crown or tiara. During the church ceremony, the priest recites prayers and discusses the talents and honors of the girl and presents her with a bouquet of flowers.
After the mass, there is a large fiesta generally held at a banquet hall. Daughters of well-to-do parents are often presented with ostentatious gifts and their quinceañera may even take place in a lavish setting such as a cruise ship. The celebration follows a set formula with rounds of speeches, toasts, gift presentations, meals and dances. The highlight of the event is a formal waltz or vals for which the teenagers have been practicing diligently for weeks. The birthday girl waltzes first with her father and then her escort. Choreographed dancing involving numerous couples is also common. To see a video of a quinceañera waltz click here. After the formal dances are over a modern dance party carries on late into the night.
In 2006, an independent American filmmaker made a low-budget film titled La quinceañera about a second-generation Mexican family planning for the daughter’s 15th birthday party. The film is in a mix of Spanish and English with subtitles. I enjoyed this film for its natural feel and controversial subject matter. View the trailer here. I have this title and 35 others in my video library for the use of my students.
