World Cultures: Birthday Celebrations
From Girl to Woman
by Luz Solorio

One of the traditions that is very popular in Mexico is the celebration for a girl on her fifteenth birthday called "Quinceañera". By tradition, it means that she leaves her childhood to turn into a woman. So, her parents feel proud of her and they make this day unforgettable for her by sponsoring a big party with lots of food and music, and arrange a church ceremony. The whole family starts to get ready for the party six months before her birthday. They choose the dress the girl will wear, decorate the place where the party is going to be held and plan the food menu.

The "Quinceañera" and her mother will go to several stores to choose the dress, it could be any light color, but the most commonly chosen colors are pink, peach or blue. The dress is long and it has ruffles and ornaments on it.

The day of the celebration starts with a ceremony on her behalf this is the first day she is supposed to wear make-up and she looks like a queen in her beautiful dress. On this day she, her parents, relatives and friends thank God for being together.

After the ceremony every body goes to the reception where the place is decorated with lots of flowers that have the same color as the dress. There are also lots of different kinds of foods that could be either a sophisticated menu or traditional one. The most common menu is a traditional dish called "mole" that is a thick sauce made out of more than ten different types of dried peppers and Mexican rice.

The last part of the party is the dance, when the "quinceañera" goes to the center of the dance floor and her parents, relatives and friends get in line to dance with her a beautiful waltz.

The party will be as big as the family can afford by trying to make it unforgettable for their daughter and all the people invited . The girl, in appreciation to her parents, will let them know how much she loves them by being a respectable person, good student, and excellent daughter.

This day is the one that every girl waits for because that is the day when by tradition they are allowed to wear makeup, and dance for the first time. In my opinion, when girls are fifteen years old it is hard to distinguish if they are still in their childhood or if they are grown-up women. I think that is the age when most of the girls change their appearance and they want to look more beautiful by wearing makeup and being slender. I would say that they look like a blossom turning into a flower.