Research Paper On Quinceanera

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Quinceanera: More Than Just a Another Birthday Party A Quinceanera is a Hispanic event that celebrates a girl’s coming of age, has traditional ceremonies, and has religious meaning to it. Although a Quinceanera is an old type of celebration, which dates back to centuries ago, it is still around to this day and is still as enjoyable and exciting as it was back then. This Hispanic event celebrates a girl turning fifteen years old and transitioning into womanhood. The celebration usually includes a special mass at church, a reception, and a dance. Not everyone knows what a Quinceanera is, so it’s helpful to inform people on what happens and what to expect at this Hispanic event. Most may see a Quinceanera as just another birthday party, but it …show more content…
It starts off with the Quince girl walking into church with her court and family in front of her, just like at a Wedding when the family, bridesmaids, and others walk in before the bride. The girls Quince court consists of her main chambelan, which is a guy partner, the other chambelanes and their damas, girl partners. There doesn’t always have to be damas in the Quince girls court, everything is all personal preference. For my Quince, I only had chambelanes, no damas. During the mass, the birthday girl sits at the front and center of the alta, either by herself or accompanied by her chambelan. During the mass, the birthday girl is gifted some traditional shiny, gold jewelry. One of the traditional jewelry is an esclava. It is a type of gold bracelet, usually made up of the three different type of beautiful golds, that has the girls name engraved in it with a fancy looking type of font. All the jewelry is also blessed by the priest before putting it on the Quince girl. These pieces of jewellery may seem like just that, but they have a deeper meaning and value to them. Cantu mentions that “the medal symbolizes the religious expression of faith and that the young women is placed under the protection of the image on the medal” (Cantu). The jewelry does not only serves a sort of accessory for the girl, but it is also a reminder to her that she is never alone and that …show more content…
This is when the most guests show up, crowding up the building, and then the Band and DJ show up, filling the air with the comfortably loud music. The dance usually starts around 6PM and ends at around 1AM. A few hours into the dance is when the important events start to happen. One of the first things that happens is the birthday girl changing her flats into high heels. This is another way to symbolize her transition into womanhood. When I switched from my flats to high heels, I felt so tall and superior. Sometimes, after changing the shoes, the tiara also gets changed into an even bigger tiara. All of these changes represent the Quince girl changing into a woman. This is something that a Quince and a Sweet Sixteen have in common, they both celebrate the transition to womanhood that the girl goes through. The colossal sized heels and the sparkly tiara let the birthday girl walk with the grace of that of a Queen. As she walks around the dance floor, the guests stare at her with the same awe that villagers stare at their magnificent Queen. Next, comes the waltz with her dad, which is very traditional. It’s a sentimental moment between a father and daughter were they have a sort of connection while they dance all by themselves. As the guests watch them embrace and dance, tears of happiness stream down the Quince girl’s face. One of the last gifts the dad gives to his daughter is the last doll. In
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