15 Años

By: Jaselyn Garcia

Have you ever heard of a quinceanera? A quinceanera is a Mexican tradition celebrating a girl's 15th birthday, marking her passage from girlhood to womanhood. It is much like the American tradition of sweet 16 but there is a Mass. In this article I will be interviewing my sister.

The preparation/ planning of a quince is a very long process. Usually you start planning 6-12 months before the birthday. Planning your quince is likely a 15 step process. 1.Budget, 2. Create a guest list, 3. Save the dates/invitations, 4. Communicate with the Church, 5. Find a venu, 6. Assemble your court, 7. Find your escort,8. Find a dress, 9. Choreograph an entrance dance, 10. Choose your theme/color scheme, 10. Seating arrangement, 12. photographer/videographer, 13. Choose the food, 14. Cake 15. Find a DJ/mariachi band. ¨ Even though it was stressful planning, especially finances and timing, it was all worth it¨ Jisela Garcia said.

Her quince was December 16th 2023. Her color scheme was dark green with gold. It was at this golf club called Eagle point. A quince is usually up to 6 hours but hers went for 8. A usual court is made up of 14 damas/girls and 14 chambelanes/boys, but hers was made up of 5 boys and 5 girls including her. The court had a choreographed entrance dance with a song chosen by Mrs.Quinceanera. There were 4 dances that were choreographed. Usually there are only three. But she had one with her mom, her dad, and the one she added was with her sister. ¨My favorite part of the quince was the dances¨ Jisela Garcia said.

There are many traditions of quince, the most important ones are the toast ,speeches, changing shoes, teddy bear/doll, and the gifts from parents, and dances. The toast is usually given by the dad or someone important to the quinceanera. The speeches are given by the mom, dad, and Mrs. Quince. In her quinceanera her dad gave the speech in spanish. Her speech was mostly thanking everybody for coming. Changing of shoes, this tradition usually someone like her dad or mom changes her shoes from flats to high heels to represent girlhood to womanhood. The doll or teddy bear is called a Quinceanera doll or The last doll. It represents it being the last toy of her childhood. The gifts from the parents are big gifts like cars and sentimental gifts. ¨If I were to change one thing about my quince it would be giving a better speech.¨ Jisela Garcia said

¨ My quince was a night I will never forget and being with all my friends and family on my big day was the best thing and it all came together really well and we had a great time,¨ Jisela Garcia said. Overall her quince was a once in a lifetime opportunity and totally worth all the stress.