Quinceanera Tradition - Sweet Sixteen Latin American Style

[Tropicana]

Since their is so much interest in Quinceaneras, I thought I would share this.

Since some members of our family spent time in Panama and/or Cuba should Jamaicans embrace this tradition as a way of celebrating this part of our heritage?

A Quinceañera is the Hispanic tradition of celebrating

a young girl's coming of age - her 15th birthday.Today's celebrations embrace religious customs, and the virtues of family and
social responsibility. The Quinceanera tradition celebrates the young girl
(la Quinceanera), and recognizes her journey from childhood to maturity.
The customs highlight God, family, friends, music, food, and dance.
Interestingly, many families today are merging their Hispanic and American
heritages by choosing to celebrate a Sweet Sixteen. For their Sweet 16 party,
the families do the full-blown quinceanera traditions - the religious ceremony,
the reception, the tiara with the number 16, and more. We encourage families to
select the customs that have special meaning to them and to add to the customs
as they wish. That is what makes the celebration unique and very special.

Fashion

n the Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American traditions, the custom can be referred to as a Quince (XV) Años, a quinces,a Quinceanera, a Quinceanero or a Fiesta Rosa.The Quinceanera celebration traditionally begins with a religious ceremony. A Reception is held in the home or a banquet hall. The festivities include food and music, and in most, a choreographed waltz or dance performed by the Quinceanera and her Court.It is traditional for the Quinceanera to choose special friends to participate in what is called the Court of Honor. Usually, these young people are her closest friends, her brothers, sisters, cousins - the special people in her life with whom she wants to share the spotlight. The Quinceanera's Court of Honor can be comprised of all young girls (called Dama), all young men (called Chambelán or Escorte or Galán) or a combination of both.The Quinceanera traditionally wears a ball gown, with her Court dressed in gowns and tuxedos. Guests usually receive small tokens, cápias and cerámicas, to commemorate the celebration.

Gifts and Symbols

It is customary for the Quinceanera to receive some or all of the following items for her ceremony.

• Tiara
• Cross or medal
• Bible or prayer book and rosary
• Scepter

Other accessories for this special occasion might be:

• Flower Bouquet
• Cake Decoration
• Cake server set
• Champagne glasses
• The last doll
• Guest book
• Photo album
• Invitations/reception cards
• Ceremony pillows
• Guest favors

The Traditional Ceremony Gifts

The Traditional Ceremony Gifts have special meaning for the Quinceanera celebration, and their honored significance relates to the Quinceanera's coming of age. The Traditional Ceremony Gifts are special signs of loyalty and commitment to God, family and the community. Where the celebration includes the Mass of Thanksgiving, the gifts are presented to the priest for special blessing. These ceremonial items may include:TIARA
Denotes a "princess" before God and the world; a triumph over childhood and ability to face the challenges ahead.CROSS or MEDAL
Signifies faith - in God, in herself, and in her world.BIBLE (or PRAYER BOOK) & ROSARY
Important resources to keep the word of God in her life.SCEPTER
Symbolizes authority, and more importantly, responsibility for her life, that is now being given to the young woman.In some Hispanic cultures, the gifts are given to the Quinceanera by "padrinos" (also called godparents or sponsors) specially chosen by the family. The padrinos who give the Traditional Ceremony Gifts are formally recognized, and often are part of the procession for either the church or reception ceremony, or do the presentation of the gifts to the priest for the blessing.The TIARA also plays a role in the actual Quinceanera ceremony. It is traditional for the headpiece worn by the Quinceanera to be ceremoniously replaced with the TIARA. The "Crowning" is done either by her parents or the godparents presenting the gift. The Scepter is also presented to the Quinceanera at the same time. This ceremony usually takes place at the reception.

The Ceremony Gifts are the distinctive, precious treasures for the ceremony; a cherished custom that highlights the Quinceanera tradition.

There are many traditions throughout the quinceanera celebration. One of the most popular is the Changing of the Shoes. The father or favored male relative ceremoniously changes the young girl's flat shoes to high heels. This is a beautiful symbol of the Quinceañera's transformation from a little girl to a young lady.

At the church ceremony, a special Kneeling Pillow, sometimes personalized with the Quinceañera's name, is placed in position for the young girl to kneel on during the ceremony. And, a touch of elegance is added with smaller decorated Ceremony Pillows for the presentation of the Quinceañera's ceremony gifts, such as the Tiara, the Scepter and the Shoes.At the reception, there is always the toast to the Quinceanera, known as the brindis. With decorated Champagne Glasses, the guests are invited to offer their congratulations and best wishes.The Last Doll is used as part of the ceremony or as decoration and keepsake. The Quinceanera doll represents the last things of a child now that the Quinceanera will focus on the things of a young lady. In some Hispanic cultures, the cápias (printed ribbons with the Quinceañera's name and date) are pinned to the doll, and the Quinceanera circulates among her guests, thanking them for their presence and presenting them with a the cápia memento taken from the doll.
In another custom, to symbolize leaving childhood things behind,
the Quinceanera passes on her Last Doll to a younger sibling.The Quince Años is a glorious celebration that remains a cherished and honored tradition.

http://www.quinceanera-boutique.com/quinceaneratradition.htm

[Tropicana]

Dance


The young lady always participates in a choreographed dance. If we did this as Jamaicans, we could use Jamaican music and dance styles.

[Wahalla]

For once i agree.... We need Quincenera... I return to the common pre columbian traditions before the White Christ.... After all Quincenera is a dedication to the Aztec feathered serpent god Quezhacothl... (a mispronunciation by the spanish)

And the flowers presented to the Lady of Guardelope by the Quinced one during the ceromony is really a coded offering to the Coatlaxopeuh .. (a pre columbian tradtion!). After all when Juan Diego told Juan De zumarega his un reconstructed european heard Guadalupe...

this mispronnociation led to conversion to the White Christ as my cousins saw the One who crushes snake which is what Coatlaxopeuh...

So let us go back to worshipping the ancient
Bet u she says that she will check with a cousin!

[Tropicana]

QuinceañeraHistory

Quinceañera is the Spanish word for a girl who is 15 years old. Among Latinos in the United States, quinceañera also is the name given to the coming-of-age celebration on a girl’s 15th birthday.The quinceañera has its origins many centuries ago when both boys and girls participated in rites of passage. To prepare for womanhood, girls were separated from other children at a certain age so the elder women could teach them about their future roles as members of family and community. During the official rites of passage, the community would thank the gods for the future wives and mothers, and the young women would vow to serve the community.
Later, missionaries turned the event into a personal affirmation of faith by the young women and a pledge to become good Christian wives and mothers. A church celebration became an important part of the occasion.
Today, the quinceañera celebration often is a lavish party that may include a mariachi band, a feast and many guests—much like a wedding. Planning for a quinceañera can start as early as the birth of a daughter. The family and godparents save up money until the girl is of age. Actual preparations may take anywhere from six months to a year and a half. Dances have to be learned, decorations decided upon, cakes ordered, and in some cases, dresses made.
The young woman wears an elaborate dress in pastel or, more recently, bold colors. Traditions vary, but they may include:

• Receiving a church blessing
• Having 14 male and female attendants and escorts, called damas and chambelanes, to represent the previous 14 years of life
• Presenting a porcelain doll to a younger sister to symbolize leaving childhood behind, or receiving a final doll from her godparents
• Changing from flats into high-heeled shoes to represent becoming a young woman
• Dancing the first dance with her father

• The word quinceañera is derived from the Spanish words quince for 15 and años for years.
• The quinceañera is one of the few universal Latin American occasions, celebrated from Mexico to Argentina.
• Although the tradition is evolving with U.S. Latinas, quinceañeras remain very common among second- and third-generation Hispanic girls.

[Tropicana]

The Quinceaños, or la fiesta Quinceañera, is a rite of passage for fifteen-year-old Latina girls. It is a community and family celebration full of tradition and meaning when a young girl is symbolically escorted into womanhood by her family and the event is witnessed by her community. The word itself comes from the Spanish quince, "fifteen," and años, "years." The origins of the Quinceañera are often attributed to the ancient customs of the Aztecs, but the ceremony and meaning behind it are similar to other ancient cultural initiation rites that occurred throughout the world. Fifteen was the age when many young women left their family home to become wives and then mothers, and almost as though passing through an invisible door, a Latina enters her Quinceañera as a child but emerges as a young woman with new responsibilities. Those who know and love her will see and treat her differently from that day forward.

For Latinas from Latin American and Puerto Rico, this is an old and revered tradition. The celebration as we know it today in the United States became popular in the 1930s and continues, even flourishing in communities where custom and ritual rekindle ethnic and family ties. But Quinceañeras, like mostly strongly held traditions, is not a static event, and the ways it is celebrated are changing with the times. Now many girls have combined the "American" concept of "sweet sixteen" with what would have been their Quinceañera. A Barbie Quinceañera doll in some cases replaces the handmade ultima muneca, and families are beginning to celebrate the "coming of age" of their sons, too. These blendings of cultures can be found in many aspects of our traditional lives. Some have to do with the breakdown of traditional life, and some with a world of changing cultural mores. In whatever form it may take, a Quinceñera is a very special event happening only once in a girl’s life, so it is a time for rejoicing in the miracle of life and reaffirming one’s commitment to family, friends, tradition, and community.

http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/voic28-3-4/onair.html

[Wahalla]

History predated the spanish and this is one of the traditions that survived the White Christ arrival....

Quetzacotcyl= Quinenera... The Mexica took hide the Spanish to hide the culture.... Say Quetzacotyl fast and compare it to quincenera.. it is not a simply a coincidence of language but a deliberate act of subversion... Ask a Yanki authour Jennings... And this is issue is on of the histrorical vinaigrettes in Galeano "Memories of Fire"

And the presentation of flowers to the Lady of Guadalupe is worship of Coatlaxopeuh... Again Juan Diego was missunderstood by the spanish bishop But the truth the flowers are presented to the earth mother Tomantzin...

My time in a mexico / Guatemala was not wasted!

in the village i lived for a while the tiara was a band of flowers: the cross would have a serpent design... there was much more pre Columbian content and references than the disney version suggestest and a alot more earth humour!

always time for a party !


The Natives Celebrated their Young Ladies

Well before the Spaniards arrived in America, many tribes including the Inca, the Maya, the Toltec and the Aztec celebrated an initiation ceremony, just like many other cultures around the world do. Once they reached a certain age, the girls were separated from the boys in order to receive a different type of education—one that varied according to the indigenous group they belonged to. The preparation of the young ladies was based on the future role they would take as members of their family and community. Once the preparation was complete an initiation ceremony took place, a ceremony that took the form of an enormous celebration in many of the cultures.
- See more at: http://www.quinceanera.com/tradition....IgJBYKyG.dpuf

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/chngmexico/218

The ancient Mexica, or Aztecs, had many ceremonies to mark passages through the stages of life. Among the most important, was preparing young women for their roles in society. The woman was presented with gifts and with elements of her dowry, or bridal wealth. Chroniclers describe that there was a festival for the young woman becoming an adult, which included the mother and other women of the community instructing the girl in her duties and responsibilities, urging her to follow the correct path, remaining true to her people and their traditions, in her life.

This is the new world equivalent of the Change of Saturnalia or the Norse Winterfest into Christmas then the denial by the followers of the White Christ of its pre Christian origin!