Quinceañeras hold special meaning for many Latino families

When Doris Martinez thinks about her quinceañera – a  traditional  Mexican celebration of a young woman’s 15th birthday – she imagines a fairy tale party, something set in a castle, with her family and friends all around, and music filling the air.
“Everyone in my house can’t wait until the day of my quinceañera. My mom and I are taking care of the details and it feels like we are never going to get it all done,” comments Doris, whose celebration will take place Aug. 30.
A social and religious event, the quinceañera celebrates the transition from childhood to adulthood. In addition, for the Martinez family and many other Latino families in the United States, celebrating a quinceañera is an opportunity to keep their cultural traditions alive and share them with the younger generation.

The origin of the celebration
Despite the importance of this celebration, little is known for certain about its origin. Historians attribute it variously to Aztec rituals and Spanish Catholic traditions, while others identify it as a Mayan and Toltec tradition. In those cultures  it was traditional to present the 15-year-old young men to the community as “warriors” and, similarly, to introduce the girls of that age as ready to conceive “warriors.”

Preparation and details
Every quinceañera is different, depending on what region the family comes from and the locale of the party. No matter how much they differ, however, the celebrations retain something similar in how they are organized.
In the early stages, when the family is first gathering information and making a budget, they choose the date and reserve the church for the religious ceremony. Next they figure out the guest list. Once this is done, they look for a place to host the party that will be large enough for the number of people they expect.
One of the things that the quinceañera decides on her own is who will be her maids and escorts. The number of participants may vary, but they are almost always friends and relatives.
From here on out, to the day of the celebration, the quinceañera keeps busy figuring out her dress, her accessories and everything else for the big  day, including her hairstyle. Other important details are the invitations, the music, the cake and the decorations.
In some cases the family also decides to hire a photographer and even a video service. They might even rent a limousine.
It is customary for close friends and relatives, known as “padrinos,” to help defray the expenses of the celebration. In the majority of cases the padrinos ­(meaning “little parents,” the word is also the term used for godparents) end up paying for the whole thing.
When all the arrangements are set, all that remains is to wait for the big day when the quinceañera will be the star of the celebration.

Alternate celebrations
Looking past the questions of the scale or even the cost of such an event, many young women these days are choosing to have a small celebration, or to not celebrate at all.
“Planning a quinceañera is very stressful”, said Lizbeth Cabrera. “In addition to school, my soccer and volleyball classes, and other activities in my free time, I can’t even imagine how complicated it would be to plan a party.”
Lizbeth does, however, have something planned for her birthday.
“My parents are backing my decision to have a small celebration in our home. Something modest, with my family and friends,” she said. “I am looking into the possibility of taking a trip (to Mexico) after my birthday. My dad has agreed to pay for everything.”
As for the trappings of the quinceañera event itself, Lizbeth has figured out a way to have the best of both worlds.
“To be honest, the things that have always attracted me  about having a quinceañera are the dress, dancing the waltz with my dad, and maybe having a slideshow with pictures from when I was little, she continued. “But still I always conclude that I can have all that at home, on a small scale, without having to go through the stress of planning something totally extraordinary.”