Quinceanera+Project

=Quinceanera and The Significance of its Traditions by Brianna Benard=



A Quinceanera is a celebration of a young girl turning into a women for her fifteenth birthday. The event is one of the biggest of the chicano culture. The word Quinceanera is a combination of the word quince which means fifteen, and anera which comes from the word anos which means years. This was created by the Aztecs and it was a time where the the young women were now given many new responsibilities. The Quinceanera has transformed over the years. Many hispanics are very traditional and others have the event with a more modern flair. It is an honor to receive your Quinceanera and many girls look forward to this time in their lives. = The Event Itself  =



The day starts off with a "Mass" where the young women is accompanied with a sort of entourage. This entourage consists of a Chambelan and other Chamelans, which are made up of young men, and maids of honor which is made up of young women. Usually the girl will have fourteen of both. The young women is also accompanied by her god parents and her parents. The mass is a confirmation of the baptismal vows that the parents made when she was only a baby. Their is also a candle ceremony to signify all the people in the young girls life that have helped her become the person she is today. A waltz takes place with the Chamelans and maids of honors. Also, an important event is the father daughter dance that takes place during the big day. Towards the end the young girl gets to cut a big cake just like a wedding. = Symbolic Gifts  = Usually the young lady is presented with many symbolic gifts. She is given a birthstone ring, a crown of flours, a medal of her saint, earings, and Bible. The ring is to symbolize the ties to her community. The crown represents shows how the young women remained a good Christian despite the troubles of society and the medal represents the protection of the saint that they have chosen. The earrings are given as a token to remember listening to God and the Bible is given as a religious "source" for her to keep a strong faith for the rest of her life. Their is also a father daughter dance during the ceremony or "after party". Another symbolic gift is the "Last doll". The last doll symbolizes the last toy that the girl will have and that now it is time to focus on women responsibilities. In some cultures ribbons are placed on the doll that are printed with the time and date of the special day and are circulated amongst the guest as a keepsake to save as a reminder of the event. Gifts that are less common to see are three roses that are presented to the young women. A closed, half open, and one open rose are given to symbolize her years as a baby, her childhood, and her current age. Perfume is given to show the "aroma" of the presence of God in her life. Lastly, a watch may sometimes be given as a gift or warn during the event. The watch is to be worn on the left wrist and it is to symbolize the time the girl has dedicated to God. = History  = The Quince dates back all the way to the Ancient Mexicans of the Aztecs in 500 b.c. It was a form of initiation into the community as a young women. The event took place in the community's gathering place before going to the family church was the custom. Fifteen was the age that a young women was said to be "sexually" mature was able to create and take care of a family. Back in the day fifteen was a common age for a hispanic girl to get married. Wealthy families would send their daughters to church's or temples to be trained as a priestess ( a women that can administer religious acts) before marriage. When the Spanish conquered the Aztecs in 1521 the native an catholic traditions merged. The Spanish destroyed many Aztec traditions and lifestyles with a major one being religious views. Girls at this time were forced to make the decision between devoting her life to the church or devoting her life to her marriage and creating a family. = Fashion and Significance of the Dress  = The traditional dress is white with a snug fitting top and a "bell-shaped" floor length skirt without a train. Many girls choose pastel colors and save white for their wedding day. The dress is the girl's first "adult" attire. The design is almost like a wedding dress but a little bit more low key. The reason it is designed to be like a wedding dress is because it is to symbolize that the young women is now in the "same rank" of a married woman. In some instances the young women will wear flats for most of the night symbolizing girlhood and then the mother or father will bring them heels to change in later in the event showing their new found womanhood. = Significance of the Waltz  =



The waltz is a dance usually that the young women does with her Chamelans and her maids of honors. It is a choreographed to symbolize the transformation to adulthood. The dance is a big highlight of the event where everyone watches the young women celebrate her new role in society. This is a link to a video of a traditional Quinceanera Waltz : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZJ3PjAczsk Recently this dance has turned into a more modern type of style. Many young women have their court do different forms of dance while incorporating a little of the waltz into the dance. This is a link to a more modern upbeat dance with the her court : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVqSqERj7NY&feature=fvw = Significance of the Father Daughter Dance  =



During the Quinceanera a very special event is the father daughter dance. This dance is to symbolize the relationship of the father and daughter. This shows that the father is now accepting the fact that his daughter has become a women. The dance shows that while he is dancing with his daughter for the first time as a young women she should be treated always like a women.

Here is a link to a video of a father daughter dance where you can also see at the beginning of the video he replaces her flats with heels which I mentioned earlier:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccV0pQlRGcA&feature=related

= Music of the Quinceanera =



Music is a very important aspect of the special event. Traditional mexicans will sometime start off the special day the night before by having the daughter serenaded by a Mariachi band in front of her house. Many quince's have either dj's or bands. Music is what keeps the party fun and spirited. It is especially crucial when it comes to the father daughter dance. The father daughter music needs to be serious and symbolize the relationship between the father and daughter. Many common traditional songs are common for both the waltz or the group dance are "La Ultima Muneca, De Nina a Mujer, and Vals de las Mariposas. Most of the songs that are played are songs that are about growing up and becoming a women.

This is a link that shows many examples of songs that are played at Quinceanera's: http://www.mgcvideos.com/QuinceaneraSongs.htm

= Personal Experience = Since I am of Hispanic descent I have had the privilege to have attended many Quinceanera’s and witness these events first hand. The one quince that I remember the most was one that I attended last year. The young girl was a family friend of mine. First, we attended the mass where her parents renewed her baptismal vows. The mass was pretty much the same as any other, but with an emphasis on the transition to women hood. Following the mass, was a reception that was at a hall. It looked exactly like a wedding reception but with all pink decorations. I noticed that the young girl did not have her group of made of honors and Chamelans. The girl had a very traditional dress that was an off white color that was bell shaped as I described in the wiki. At the reception there was a father daughter dance where they danced together but then she was switch off to her older brother. There was a candle ceremony where she gave a candle to all of the women that had an effect on her life. She had a dj and people danced like a wedding reception. There was a picture montage of her life showing how she has progressed from a baby to a young woman. It was a pretty modern quince where not to many of the traditional gifts were given.