Should every girl have a quinceañera? This is the question Julia Alverez is arguing in Once Upon a Quinceañera. Alverez believes that these celebrations are problematic and cause a lot of issues with gender, finances, and culture. She is clear in her purpose for this essay and achieves what she is aiming to do, which is to make her readers question quinceañeras. “I asked her about this claim I’d heard that quinceañeras really turn girls around. Not that I wanted an analysis or anything academic, I added, thinking maybe I was sounding too much like a doubting-Thomas gringa. But with all those statistics still heavy in my heart, I wanted to hear why she thought quinceañeras were so effective.” (Alverez, 2008, pp. 47) This quotation demonstrates …show more content…
So that now, Cuban quinceañeras in Miami are hiring Mexican mariachis to sing the traditional “Las Mañanitas…As is the changing of the shoes to heels, which seems to originally have been a Puerto Rican embellishment…The tradition of crowning the young girl is often ascribed to the Mexicans, who seem to be the group that has most ritualized the ceremony. But here in America, every quinceañera gets her tiara. The bouquet the quinceañera carries to put at the Virgin Mary’s statue at the Mass is also part of the Mexican and Central American tradition, as is the Mass, which our more hedonistic Caribbean party-cultures dispensed with back home. But now the Mass and the Virgin’s bouquet have become part of our Dominican and Puerto Rican and Cuban “tradition” in the United States.” This is heavily filled with logos because she is telling us all of the different traditions and cultures that quinceañeras have borrowed from each other, but it does not stop at just borrowing from different Latinx communities, “Sometimes these cultural borrowings are not even coming from fellow Latinos. The tradition of lighting and dedicating candles, for example, seems to have been lifted from the Bar and Bat Mitzvah. In fact, many critics see the quinceañera as going the same route as the Jewish celebration.” The extravagance of a quinceañera also relies heavily on culture. Initially, Alverez was dismissive of this kind of “cultural profiling” but once she realized this thought was echoed by Octavio Paz, a seminal writer on Mexican identity, she changed her mind. Paz says, “Our poverty can be measured by the frequency and luxuriousness of our holidays. Fiestas are our only luxury. Wasting money and expending energy affirms the community’s wealth in both. When life is thrown away it increases. What is sought is potency,
I shouldn’t have a quinceanera , what’s so important you turning fifteen having a huge party having a big dress , food , make-up , and hair done . every one turn fifteen and some people don’t make a huge party and go all out just for you turning a age , it’s not a big deal turning fifteen you still a teen you're not an adult yet , your still a kid.
Have you ever disobeyed your families culture? Or ever wanted to forget about something in your past culture? It’s not always easy, to follow traditions, sometimes you want to create or change your lifestyle.In the poem ‘’El Olvido’’ by Judith Ortiz Cofer and ‘’Life In The Age Of The Mimis’’ by Domingo Martinez. The authors of these texts indicate the idea that trying to hide your cultures identity is defiance against your heritage.
In “Once Upon a Quinceanera” Julia Alvarez follows the Hispanic coming of age tradition for females to explore how evolution of culture has shifted throughout generations. By doing this Alvarez discovers perceptions are influenced by cross cultural boundaries. In “Leave Your Name at the Border” Manuel Munoz, discusses the barriers between Mexicans and Americans when it comes to language and how it affects future generations. He does this by acknowledging socially expected norms for Mexican Americans in public and the tensions created when assimilating to such norms between a non-dominant and dominant group. In “What’s Black, Then White, and Said All Over,” Leslie Savan discusses how black talk and pop talk is connected because white people
Envision stepping into the room, seeing your guess smile and talk quietly, the atmosphere of the room glowing, and feeling the warmth grow inside your chest as you know you planned a successful Quinceanera. The day a girl of the hispanic culture turns 15, is the day her fantasies come to life; and she becomes a women. Quinceaneras carry lots of quarks, small details, and ideas; but with these simple steps it can be perfected.
The study of religion is often a rigorous process because the central tenets of the subject: image, ritual, and myth are often copious in their complexity. For example, consider the multiple meanings that are inherent in the image of a crucifix. Some Christians might view it as an image of suffering, whilst others would reject that notion and instead perceive it to be one of love. These differences may seem inconsequential at first, but they can overtime shape the beliefs of an individual and by extension a community. To understand this dynamic better one only has to analyze the Christo Aparecido (Christ Appeared), an authentic Mexican crucifix with a fascinating history from the colonial era to the present. This history is made known by the text, Biography of a Mexican Crucifix: Lived Religion and Local Faith from the Conquest to the Present by Jennifer Hughes, from which I contend that over the life of the Christo Aparecido there continues to be an understanding among devotees that this crucifix is sacred because it displays animus while being a vestige for the sacred to occupy. To support my position I will attempt to relate the moments where the Christo Aparecido is said to show signs of life, in particular his stay in Mexico City during the colonial era and his role in more modern times with rival groups clashing over its efficacy in the village of Totolapan.
La Virgen is known for being a powerful miracle worker. For example, NASA scientist have offered no explanation on how the image of the Guadalupe imprinted on the cloak has no brush strokes, or sketch marks, or how for the past 478 years it has maintained high quality- preservation without deteriorating (Infallible Catholic). These unique and inexplicable facts about the Guadalupe adds to why she is venerated and worshiped by thousands of Latinos around the world. The basilica also featured many people praying, singing, and doing traditional dances which were all awe inspiring and spiritual to watch. The most important piece of souvenir that I brought from the Basilica would be a red handmade bracelet of la virgen which I cherish and embrace it with me wherever I go.
quinceañeras are a tradition for a girl who at the age of 15 becomes a young women. Another example, in the United States Culture theres sweet 16 which is similar to a quinceañera, but in this case a girl becomes a young women at the age of 16. Each culture has their own rituals, traditions, rite of passage that contributes to the development or defines one’s self identity, there’s similarities or differences between the rites of passage, why do only girls receive quinceañeras, and does commercialization of rituals and or rite of passage have an affect on its overall
A quinceañera is an event that is celebrated worldwide. The term “quinceañera” means fifteenth years in English. It’s an extravagant birthday bash for a young lady turning the age of fifteen.”Celebrating my quince años meant beginning a life of a new adult. It has also given me much more responsibility for my own actions” (Xochitl Comparan, Victoria, Texas). This event is celebrated differently by many diverse cultures, and as time goes by some of the traditions change. Even though the traditions may alter, the whole point for this eventful activity stays the same. The point for this event is to recognize the young lady’s transition from childhood to womanhood. This is also known as “the coming of age.” On this one day, it’s all about the girl, nothing else matters! Organizing one of these events is a very expensive and lengthy process. It takes a lot of time and dedication. There’s a lot to be incorporated in the huge event; such as planning the ceremony, every decoration detail for the reception, all the traditions that must happen during the day, and most importantly to figure out who will be a part of this ritual.
Do I even want to have a sweet sixteen? I’ve never seen myself as the quintessential “princess”, in a flowing dress and mile high tiara. I could just wait until my eighteenth, then I’d be considered an adult, at least in American society. Do I even want a Quinceanera? It revolves around the church so much it’s practically the sun and the earth. Besides, could I even have a Quinceanera? My family would have to travel all the way to Mexico.
The second family that I interviewed was the Lyles family. Both Bro. Scotty, the father, and Mrs. Yolanda, the mother, participated in the interview and three of their children were in the room. Bro. Scotty was born and raised in Alba, Texas on the very same tree farm that he owns and operates today; he is also a deacon at our church. However, Mrs. Yolanda was born and raised in Guatemala. As a child she was raised Catholic, and is part of a large and growing family. She is one of eight children. Their family as well as anybody else in that culture celebrated their daughter’s 15th birthday with a Quinceañera which marked the transition from childhood to young womanhood. This was traditionally the first time the girls would wear make-up, nice
In Cervantes’ Don Quixote, the protagonist, a middle-aged gentleman named Alonso Quixano, loves chivalry and spends all his free time collecting and reading books on it. Obsessed with the heroic ideals portrayed in the books, he decides to roam the countryside as a knight-errant named Don Quixote, protecting the helpless, defending women, and destroying evil. Reality and imagination begin to blend together for him, as he sees a peasant woman as a great lady, an inn as a castle, or some windmills as giants. His perception of the world is aligned with neither reality nor the perceptions of those around him. As a result, he obviously acts and treats people differently. But do Don Quixote’s illusions affect his interactions with others for better or worse? One thing is certain: in any given situation he tends to exaggerate either the virtues or vices of people, to the extent that he perceives them as much better or much worse than they really are. Because of this, it seems his illusions cause his interactions with other people to be either better than usual, or much, much worse. He builds people up more
Lots of people have received gift that is not particularly favored. Those people know exactly how Ana and Dori feel. Ana is a character in Erin Fanning’s “The Quinceanera Text”. Dori is a character in Rachel Vail’s story “Good Enough”. Both of these characters received disappointing gifts, but later the girls realized how much these present represent the love the families show towards the young ladies. “Good Enough and “The Quinceanera Text” have similarities and differences such as author's tone and types of characters.
The Quinceañera is a celebration in Latin America that is very comparable to our Sweet 16 celebration, also know as the fiesta de quince años. The origination of the word comes from the feminine term of fifteen-year-old in Spanish. The overall celebration marks the transition from childhood to becoming a young woman. In earlier times this celebration was meant to be a teaching point for young women to learn how to cook, weave, and the art of becoming a mother. Depending on the family specifically, some can carry a religious tone, and some can be more traditional and casual.
All birthdays are special. Birthdays celebrate life and the passing of time. In a young Mexican girl life, there is no birthday more important then her quinceañera. The quinceañera is a celebration of a girl’s journey into womanhood. The story of my fifteenth birthday is contributed for a better understanding of how special it is to celebrate a girl’s transformation into a lady, and how it differs from any other birthday she celebrates.
The Latinos make up close to 16 percent of the total American population, thus becoming the 2nd largest ethnic community. Just like many other migrant populations, the Latinos seek to keep in touch with their Hispanic traditions and cultures. As Alvarez puts it, children born in the US are thus taught certain cultural events and values so as to maintain their lineage. The most common one as discussed by Alvarez in her book is the quinceañera. This refers to a girl’s celebration as she reaches fifteen. This day of celebration is supposed to mark a girl’s transition from being a child to an adult woman. Among other traditional symbols, these parties are huge and include choreographed dances and ball gowns.