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 from many centuries ago when girls participated in rites of passage. Fiesta de quince años, Fiesta de quinceañera, quince años or simply quince, is a celebration of a girl’s fifteenth birthday with cultural roots in Latin America but celebrated throughout the Americas.

Why is it so important to Celebrate your Quinceañera? It is One of the most important celebrations in Mexican culture is the tradition of the Quinceañera. This constitutes a ceremony on a girl’s fifteenth birthday to mark her passage to womanhood, to give thanks to God for his blessings, and to present a young woman to the community.

The Quinceañera 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 Quinceañera and her Court.

Dancing is often an important part of the Quinceañera celebration. In addition to the specialty dances like the Father Daughter dance.

***The Quinceañera Dress is Considered an important, if not the most important part of the Celebration. Traditionally, Quinceañeras wear long ball gowns in pink, blush, Ivory or white.. Even though today all pastel colors are popular and girls may wear whatever color they wish. Today’s Quinceañeras often take to a bolder look, such as Jewel-tone colors like red, Royal blue, Gold, Fuschia, Turquoise and Even Purples have become very popular colors. But any color is up for grabes. When you choose the gown style and color that fits your Theme and personality, everything else will follow.

Did You Know?

• 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.