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Quinceñera Research Paper

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Traditions of the Quinceñera
The Hispanic culture values children’s turning of age just like the American culture does. In American culture, teenagers can buy cigarettes and lottery tickets at age eighteen. At age sixteen, most American teens (depending on the state) can get a permit and begin to learn to drive. In Hispanic culture, fifteen is the chosen age; they value the girl’s fifteenth birthday because that is the age that they believe the young girl changes and becomes an adult, a woman. When the girl celebrates her fifteenth birthday, they celebrate by having a big turning-of-age ceremony and reception which they call a Quinceñera. The Quinceñera is a big event, almost like a wedding for the young girl.
In Spanish, the word Quince means …show more content…

Traditionally, the young girl has a court of people almost like a bridal party in a wedding which can be made up of all boys, all girls, or a mix of boys and girls depending on what the teenager wants. Guadalupe had a court of all girls, except she had one boy, the Chambelán, because that was what she wanted. The Chambelán is the girl’s partner, which is similar to the Groom in the bridal party. The Court, the Chambelán, and the girl, all dress up in fancy formal attire: ball gowns and suits, just like in a wedding. At Guadalupe’s Quinceñera, she wore a blue floor-length, big puffy gown, and the Chambelán wore a suit. Her court wore short white dresses, with a blue sash to match Guadalupe’s dress. In her opinion, the Quinceñera revolves around the dress. The court’s outfits, the cake, and the decorations all revolved around the style and color of the dress she chose.
At the reception there is food, however, there is no food that is culturally required to have at the Quinceñera, though food of their culture is popular. Guadalupe explained that lots of Mexican rice, mole (a dish with a sauce that includes chile, nuts, tomatoes, and a type of meat), and chicken pozole (a soup that has beef and corn grains) were the foods that she had at her Quinceñera, which are also popular foods that she’s seen at other’s …show more content…

The young girl originally wears flat shoes on her feet. At some point in the reception, she is given heels to wear. This transition from flats to heels symbolizes the young girl’s transformation from a young girl to a woman. Also at some point in the reception, the girl sits in a chair where everyone can see her and she is given a doll. This doll symbolizes the young girls’ childhood. In some families, the young girl then gives the doll to a younger family member, almost to say that she is moving past her childhood and onto her adulthood. Also she is given a crown, which symbolizes her transition to a

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