Background Knowledge And Content
The Quinceañera is a coming to age celebration, in which a young girl becomes a woman. She celebrates this by having a celebration or party on her fifteenth birthday. This transition from young girl to woman is more of an involved process of assuming a new role and defining oneself.[8] Latino Americans are the fastest growing and youngest population in the USA in the 21st century[9], and the Latina identity and womanhood tradition is included as part of this growing population.
Many of the adolescent Latinas face challenges within their own community and need a sense of belonging.[10] “The dynamic and exciting transition to womanhood as girls ‘coming of age’ offers a unique window of opportunity to forge a fulfilling connection between individual and community in the lives of Latina adolescents.” [11] When we reinforce the needs and concerns within the Latina or Hispanic community, we are able to address the often-neglected impact the young Latina can not only face within her household but also in the surrounding community.[12]
So, what exactly is the Quinceañera? In many non-Chicano communities, they use the term quinces or quince años.[13] The chambelan is the term used for the honoree’s escort. Along with the dama are the young women who accompany the honoree.[14] The European origin of this celebration is at the age of 15, a young woman was considered of marriageable age, and the Indigenous origin was to present the young woman to the people as a coming-of-age celebration.[15] The Quinceañera celebration is usually strongly tied into or associated with the recognition of the Virgin of Guadulupe in the Mexican context. The young woman offers her flowers, and a prayer is said to help in the transition from young girl to woman.[16]
The celebration can be defined in many different ways depending on whom the question is being asked, but the one explanation closely related to the idea and concept is, “the transition from girlhood to womanhood is not simply a process of biological maturation, but rather, it is part of a more involved sociocultural process of assuming new roles and defining oneself in the process of coming of age into emerging adulthood”[17] as mentioned in the above paragraphs. This celebration serves as a guide or path for the young girl to follow as she continues in her journey to adulthood.[18] Traditionally most cultures have the coming to age celebrations where the young woman seeks mentorship, given a particular set of rites to follow and possibly a separation from the community they will be living within.[19] “In its fullest sense, the coming of age ritual acknowledges biological changes, provides direction to a young girls’ life-path, teaches important life skills, and makes connections to cultural values and community.”[20] The Latino culture reflects many demographic groups, and is not narrowed down to one specific coming to age celebration and therefore the Quinceañera is by no means celebrated by all the Latina population found within each demographic.[21] Different groups have different variations of how the event is celebrated exactly.
This transition is meant to be more than just an age transition but as a celebration that will help define her. [22] I agree with the idea that this celebration inspires both individual and cultural identity as stated by the Okumabua and others.[23] Cultural identity is a major component of the Quinceañera celebration as me and my students have discussed. Some of them start planning years before they turn fifteen. It involves a lot of planning typically because it is not just a party, it is the intentional path to lead a successful life as she enters adult/ woman hood.[24] The author states that the mentors are typically older woman who assist in this celebration, but as for my experiences and conversations with students not just at my present school but also my former place of employment, it typically is an older sister, cousin, or other family member who has a majority input on the actual celebration itself or has been through a Quinceañera herself.
So, what does the typical Quinceañera consist of? One of very first thing the young lady who is turning fifteen is to walk into a ceremony hall or church in a delicate, white dress and white shoes to symbolize purity and suggest the young lady is still a virgin.[25] This tradition has become something of the past, as most Quinceañera dresses are now more elaborate and elegant, very detailed and colorful. There is a traditional flower presentation given to the young lady by the grandmother or the eldest woman who is present in the family.[26] Usually after the flower presentation the father or the male adult who is represented in the family will give a speech followed by a few other family members, depending on the format.[27] Once the father’s speech has taken place, the flat white shoes are now replaced with high heels and the young lady is represented as a woman and introduced to everyone present as transitioned from young girl to a woman. [28] As I mentioned earlier, from my firsthand experiences of attending Quinceañeras, the white dress is often not even introduced at the beginning, and the young lady enters in the more vibrant dress. If she does follow tradition and enters in the white dress, as the flat shoes are replaced with high heels, the dress will be replaced later as well in the ceremony. This is the basic format or representation of the Quinceañeras celebration.
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