| at is a quinceanera? | | | | The Quince girl receives the tiara and scepter from |
| The Quinceanera is a tremendous event in Latin | | | | her grandmother, memorializing her arrival as a young |
| culture, one rich with tradition and heritage. So much so | | | | woman. When the Mass is over she will sometimes |
| that an outside visitor to the Quince celebration might | | | | leave the flowers on the church's altar as a prayer |
| feel overwhelmed by the terms and traditions. | | | | offering. |
| What is a chambelane? Why does the girl change | | | | The Quinceanera Fiesta |
| shoes at the fiesta? Why are there so many people in | | | | The fiesta is a time to celebrate the occasion. The |
| the court? | | | | Quince girl may have up to several hundred guests in |
| If you're planning to attend a Quinceanera but you're | | | | a party that lasts well into the night. Music plays a large |
| not sure what it means or why the celebration is | | | | role, as does dancing. Traditionally, the quince girl will |
| important, read on. | | | | first dance with her father after receiving her first pair |
| The Quinceanera | | | | of zapatillas, or heeled shoes. The second dance is for |
| A Quinceanera celebrates a Latina girl's fifteenth | | | | her honored escort, or chambelane de honor. |
| birthday, or quince anos - her official coming of age | | | | The honor court, or corte de honor, consists of the |
| within her community. The Quinceanera, sometimes | | | | men and women who stand with the Quince girl at her |
| abbreviated to simply "Quince," is an ancient custom | | | | fiesta. In modern times, it includes seven chambelanes, |
| with its roots in Aztec fertility rites and European | | | | or escorts; and damas, or ladies. Combined with the |
| debutante balls. The traditional Quinceanera includes a | | | | quince girl, the court totals fifteen young men and |
| Misa de Acción de Gracias, or Thanksgiving | | | | women. In times past, all the damas would wear a |
| Mass, at her family's church. Following the Mass, the girl | | | | different colored dress, achieving a rainbow effect. |
| attends a fiesta in her honor. | | | | Modern gowns more closely coordinate with the |
| The Quinceanera is second only to a woman's | | | | quince girl's gown, much like brides and bridesmaids. |
| wedding day among important occasions. It's a time | | | | The quince girl's father will usually make a toast to her |
| when the whole community celebrates. | | | | daughter's continued health and good fortune. The |
| The Quinceanera Mass | | | | ultima muneca is also sometimes given to one of the |
| The Quince girl attends the Misa de Acción de | | | | younger girls present - often a younger sister or |
| Gracias accompanied by her parents, grandparents, | | | | cousin. It is sometimes thrown in the air, as a wedding |
| and a special set of godparents chosen for the | | | | bouquet. |
| occasion (called padrinos). At the beginning of the | | | | Finally, the quince girl and her parents will extend their |
| Mass, the girl presents her ultima muneca, or last doll, | | | | thanks to the guests. While this was sometimes done |
| and exchanges it for a bouquet of flowers, called el | | | | to draw the celebration to a close, in modern times it is |
| ramo. During the ceremony, the priest blesses several | | | | often performed near the beginning of the fiesta, while |
| items including a new Bible, a rosary (rosario), a tiara, | | | | everyone is present. |
| and a scepter. | | | | |