Quinceañera

The Quinceañera is a young Latina woman's celebration of her fifteenth birthday, which is celebrated in a specific and different way from her other birthdays.^[1] Having a Quinceañera is a tradition that shows that a girl is becoming a young woman.^[2] It is the same as the English version of a Sweet Sixteen.

The celebration begins with a mass, the point in having a religious ceremony is to thank God for the gift of life.^[3] In which the quinceañera arrives in formal dress, accompanied by her parents, godparents, seven maids of honor and seven chamberlains.^[4] After the Mass, the younger sisters, female cousins and friends of the quinceañera pass out party favors, and the quinceañera leaves her bouquet in an altar to the Virgin Mary.

The Mass is followed by a party at either the quinceañera's home or in a banquet hall rented for the occasion. In the selected place for the party there are various dances that take place. One of them being the father-daughter dance which symbolizes the father being the first to celebrate the new milestone of becoming a young woman by dancing with her.^[5] The quinceañera and her court which includes her maids of honor and her chamberlains, do a waltz dance together to introduce themselves to everyone at the party. The waltz is an organized dance that has been practiced prior to the day of the event and this dance is usually performed either at the beginning or middle of the reception.^[6] The quinceañera and her court may also perform a surprise dance that is also choreographed prior to the day of the event. This surprise dance contain trendy dances or songs at the time of the event some of which may include bachata, salsa, reggaeton, hip-hop and more.^[7]

It is also practiced particularly in Mexico.