Quinceañeras, Padrinos, and Why It's Important

When one thinks of quinceañeras, one would think of massive parties, like sweet sixteens that take place here in the United States. Quinceañeras date back hundreds of years, with the origin still in debate  between the Spaniards and the Native Americans (such as the Aztecs, Incans and Mayans) of Central and South America. The celebration of a teen turning 15 represents an important cultural rite of passage.

Quinceañeras Today
Quinceañeras today have a slightly different significance for the Latinx/Hispanic communities across the country. Before, a young teen's quince celebration would mean that she was now a potential candidate for marriage. Now it represents more of a cultural and symbolic rite of passage. A day would be chosen within the year that the daughter turns 15 and it would begin with a mass celebrating the life of the teen (a vast majority of Latinx/Hispanic people are practicing Catholics) before ending it with a reception in the evening. Within the reception, there are a few traditions that are done such as the father changing his daughter's flats for heels to symbolize womanhood, then their father-daughter dance, before having a dance with the padrinos (godparents that sponsor to pay certain aspects of the festivity).

Cost & Padrinos
Quinceañeras can be quite costly but it is often something that parents are willing to pay due to the significance of hosting one for their daughter. They could run as low as $5,000, to as high as $20,000, depending on the budget and financial status of the family. To lessen the blow of the costs, a host family would reach out to their relatives to see if they would sponsor a part of the party, such as the dress, videography, the church, venue, etc.

It might definitely seem strange for an outsider to see a family ask for money from friends and family to help pay for a party that 'apparently' the family cannot afford. It isn't often the case, though that case is not rare. I will only speak for Mexican culture since I am a Mexican-American, but Mexico is a very collectivistic culture (as is Central America), where as the United States is a more individualistic culture. Being a collectivist country means that the people think about the community and how certain decisions will affect the family or overall community. In the United States, people mainly focus on themselves (or at least the immediate family). As a Mexican-American growing up in the United States, it was and still is interesting to see the conflicting differences of the two cultures.  Being asked to be a padrino is an honor in Mexican culture since it is a gesture of close kinship and friendship.

Why Quinceaneras are so Much More Than Just a Party

There is so much more outside the bright lights, the cake, the dancing. On top of quinceaneras being grand, it is also the one thing that the entire family looks forward to. A host family invites all their family in their area, from out of state, and if possible, from Mexico. A quince takes a year to a year and a half to plan and put into fruition, giving extended family plenty of time to save up to see family members that they have not seen in months, if not years. In the two times I was a dama (a quinceañera would have her own court made up of her friends, kind of like bridesmaids. Dama means lady in Spanish),  my two quince friends had family come from out of state like Illinois and California to see them on their big day. Had I had the opportunity to have one, I would have had family come from California and New Mexico, and if possible, family from Mexico. Parents would invite their brothers or sisters that they haven't seen, or other primos (cousins), so its a very touching experience.


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