Quinceañera is a big day that marks the transition of a young lady to adulthood. The celebration reflects on the choices and the unique culture of the birthday girl and her family.
Quinceañera celebration is often noticed in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Mexico — besides Latino/Hispanic communities in the United States seen celebrating this tradition.
You can notice differences in traditions in every country. However, some common elements always remain the same.
Keep reading to find out about these common quinceañera traditions that are woven into the reception, along with a quick and useful quinceanera dress shopping guide.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
History Of Quinceañera
Since the Aztec civilization, when a girl reached the age of 15, she was traditionally considered to be ready for marriage. Over time, this milestone turned into a celebratory event that marks the transition of young girls into womanhood.
It originated in Mexico and has now become a well-established tradition that is practiced across the world. The mix of traditional customs with the varied societies has sparked new innovative ideas for quinceañera celebrations.
Common Quinceañera Traditions
Here is a list of some of the consistent aspects of this celebration across the globe that you may want to include in your quinceañera celebration.
The Court Of Honor
It is mostly composed of close friends or family, symbolizing the love and support shown to the celebrant (also known as a quinceañerea) as she steps foot into womanhood.
The court of honor performs a waltz and a surprise dance for the quinceañerea.
While celebrations these days may feature a small court, traditionally there were 14 girls and 14 boys.
The Grand Celebratory Entrance
Like the wedding ceremony, the grand entrance of quinceañera is often accompanied by music.
The arrival of the celebrant’s parents, followed by the court, is announced by the MC. Later, the quinceañera entered the party premises with her escort to a standing ovation from friends and family.
The entrance can be creative and dramatic, depending on the quinceañerea choice.
An Epic Toast
The celebratory toast is often reserved for the inner circle of friends and family of the celebrant, such as parents and grandparents.
This beautiful tradition allows the quince to thank her loved ones for putting up a beautiful celebration. It’s also a prospect to congratulate the quinceañera on her transition into adulthood — and remember all the happy moments of her childhood.
Shoe Changing Ceremony
This changing of the shoe ceremony represents the quinceañera’s transition from girlhood to womanhood.
At the beginning of the celebration, the celebrant wears flats; however, right before the waltz, her father or a close male relative will help her change into heels.
High-heeled shoes symbolize adulthood; in retrospect, flats represent a sense of childhood.
Father & Daughter Dance Duo
Another important tradition of quinceañera celebrations is the father/daughter dance, which takes place right after the shoe-changing ceremony.
The celebrant now takes her first turn on the dance floor as a young woman with her father or a father-like figure. It is quite an emotional moment that symbolizes the eternal bond between the child and her parent.
Additional Elements Of Quinceañera Celebration – Quinceanera Dress Shopping Guide
Just like a wedding gown, having an amazing quinceanera dress is a dream for every young girl.
Your dress and you as a whole are the center of attraction of the event. Thus, it is essential to buy Quinceanera dresses only from renowned, quality-efficient stores, be they online or in-store.
Go through the modern quinceanera dress shopping guide for your assistance.
Set Your Budget
Never step into the world of dress hunting without discussing the budget with your parents.
Once you have a budget to buy a quinceanera dress, you will never eye on something that won’t go with your pocket. Hence, it won’t leave you with any disappointments.
Besides your budget, understand the payment policies of the store. If you are lucky, you may even find stores that offer feasible payment plans that fit right within your financial estimate.
Do Your Research
Take a complete round of all the well-known stores for modern quinceanera dresses to see what’s new out there in the market.
However, before that, you must ask yourself about what sort of dress you would want – a traditional, modern, or a full quince ball gown.
Expand your research horizons to find something that would instantly click with your personality and sense of style.
Take Guidance
Whenever you are selecting your dress, make sure to have just one of two friends or family members (whom you can trust with style) along with you. However, too many cooks can spoil the broth – thus, just a few.
You can even choose to keep your attire secret until your big day from your friends and family by taking only your mother or sister’s opinion for it!
Keep Your Body Type In Mind
While choosing the silhouette of the dress, make sure to choose something that works well with your body type.
For instance, a floor-length, off-the-shoulder number would be lovely if you are uncomfortable showing your legs but love to flaunt your collarbones.
The main reason for wide research is to find something that keeps you comfortable during the celebration while showing off your best assets.
Keeping this formula in mind would help you find a pretty yet comfortable outfit for your big day!
Final Takeaway
One last piece of advice: Take tons of photos to upload on social media.
Take time to savor the meal—good food always puts people in a good mood!
FAQs
Q -What is the Order of the Quinceañera?
A – While there is no perfect order to celebrate your child’s quinceañera reception, you can still start in the following steps:
- Arrival of guests
- Entrance of parents, the court, and the celebrant
- The toast
- A reception dinner
- The changing of shoes
- The parent/child dance
- The waltz
- Dance time
- 15 candle ceremony
- The cake cutting
