What is a Quinceanera?
![What is a Quinceanera](https://ideas.hallmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/WhatIsAQuinceanera600x600.jpg)
Quinceañera is the Spanish word for a girl who is 15 years old. Among Latinos in the United States, quinceañera also is the name given to the coming-of-age celebration on a girl’s 15th birthday.
The quinceañera has its origins many centuries ago when both boys and girls participated in rites of passage. To prepare for womanhood, girls were separated from other children at a certain age so the elder women could teach them about their future roles as members of family and community. During the official rites of passage, the community would thank the gods for the future wives and mothers, and the young women would vow to serve the community.
Later, missionaries turned the event into a personal affirmation of faith by the young women and a pledge to become good Christian wives and mothers. A church celebration became an important part of the occasion.
Inspired? Create and share by tagging @hallmarkstores.
Today, the quinceañera celebration often is a lavish party that may include a mariachi band, a feast and many guests—much like a wedding. Planning for a quinceañera can start as early as the birth of a daughter. The family and godparents save up money until the girl is of age. Actual preparations may take anywhere from six months to a year and a half. Dances have to be learned, decorations decided upon, cakes ordered, and in some cases, dresses made.
The young woman wears an elaborate dress in pastel or, more recently, bold colors. Traditions vary, but they may include:
-
Receiving a church blessing
-
Having 14 male and female attendants and escorts, called damas andchambelanes, to represent the previous 14 years of life
-
Presenting a porcelain doll to a younger sister to symbolize leaving childhood behind, or receiving a final doll from her godparents
-
Changing from flats into high-heeled shoes to represent becoming a young woman
-
Dancing the first dance with her father
Learn what to write in a quinceañera card and see all of our quinceañera ideas.
You may also like
See more-
Gifting Grandparent gift ideas they’ll love and remember
Here are some tips and suggestions for grandparent gifts—what you can give to the persons who give so much to us.
-
Faith Joanne Eschrich: Angels Everywhere
Hallmark Artist Joanne Eschrich's belief in the angels around us inspired her collection for Hallmark Gold Crown stor...
-
Care & Concern How to support friends with anxiety and depression
Advice on what to say and how to support friends with anxiety and depression directly from people who went through it.
-
Care & Concern How to support a friend with cancer or serious illness
What to say and how to support friends with cancer or a serious illness directly from people who went through it.
-
Halloween Halloween treat boxes
Download these fun Halloween printables to make your own little monsters—Halloween treat boxes, we mean.
-
Easter History of Easter
Learn about the history of Easter, including the origin of the Easter Bunny and Easter egg traditions plus other inte...
-
Faith How to be a godparent
Honored? Humbled? Terrified? Here’s a few must-have tips on how to be a godparent whether you’re preparing for a bapt...
-
Breakfast Chinese five spice donuts
With their warm, spicy-sweet flavors, these Chinese five spice donuts will disappear from your breakfast table in no ...
-
Appetizer & Snacks Lemon ricotta bruschetta
Put a little zest in your bruschetta. Our deliciously different lemon ricotta bruschetta offers a tasty twist on trad...
-
Dessert Baby shower dessert: Diaper strawberry tarts
Planning a baby shower dessert or baby's first birthday party? These little diaper strawberry tarts are sure to get a...
-
Appetizer & Snacks Halloween bone breadsticks
These Halloween bone breadsticks are a great example of taking an everyday favorite and reimagining it as a creepy Ha...
-
Appetizer & Snacks Ham and cheese crescent rolls
These ham and cheese crescent rolls are flaky, filled with ham and cheese goodness and a fun alternative to classic d...
-
Dessert Homemade blueberry pie
Homemade blueberry pie provides the perfect finale to a Fourth of July celebration or any other occasion. Bursting wi...
-
Dessert Raspberry buckle
A buckle is so named because the top buckles when it cooks. It is a type of cake with fruit dropped into the batter. ...
-
Dessert Raspberry linzer cookies
Linzer cookies are fruit tarts in cookie form. Our raspberry linzer cookies feature a raspberry jam filling and a dai...
-
Dessert Penguin ice cream bars
To make our fun penguin ice cream bars, you do more assembling than cooking, which makes it a great holiday activity ...
-
Dessert Peanut butter spiders
Looking for a fun, creative and creepy treat for your loved ones this Halloween? Look no further. Our peanut butter s...
-
Drinks White hot chocolate
Warm your insides with our yummy white hot chocolate. With bits of white chocolate, milk, half-and-half, vanilla extr...