Quinceanera, which is Spanish for Sweet 15, is a very popular celebration in the Spanish community. This is a very special day to both the mother and the daughter. This day signifies the transformation from a little girl to a young lady. It is a way of introducing a new woman to society. Turning 15 is the most important birthday for Spanish communities. Quinceaneras tend to be a big and elegant celebration in which every family member and friends collaborate to give the birthday girl the best party she has ever had. To my understanding every Sweet 15 was celebrated the same in every Spanish country. But after attending my friend’s Brazilian Sweet 15 my opinion has changed for the better.
My friend Stephane Rene and I were invited to a Sweet 15 a couple weeks ago. The birthday girl was related to one of our friend, Kim. At first, I did not even think of using this event to write my paper because I thought that I knew what a Sweet 15 was all about. I was primarily going to focus on the Brazilian culture because even though my friend is Brazilian I had never had the opportunity to share an event with Brazilians being the dominant group. But soon after the ceremony got started I found myself surprised and amused of what was in front of me. First, there is ceremony before the reception which is held at a church. The family is catholic therefore the ceremony was held at the catholic church of the town. After everybody was sitting down, Jennily walked down the aisle toward the front of the church. Here, the priest was waiting to give her the appropriated blessings. She was wearing a long gorgeous pink silky dress which represented her new status as a young woman. Jennily was also wearing soft pink slippers which she would change later into a more elaborate one. I was familiar with the ceremony at the church before the party because it is a way of blessing her and to appreciate her day of celebration which simultaneously represents her rebirth as a woman. But I did not hesitate to ask one of the family members, what did it signify to them to be blessed by the priest the day of her birthday? To my surprise, thru their blessings they also pray for her future and her new start. Once the priest was done, her aunt and uncle stood up and recall her first fifteen years of life in a very sentimental and biographical speech. Throughout the speech they kept referr...
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...ized by they own people than an outsider because it would make no difference for me to see someone of their group acting a particular way. In actuality, it would be hard for me to notice that there is something a little odd.
Regardless of the difference of culture, language and customs, I learned so much about the Brazilian culture in the United States. For example, they have huge families like Dominicans and they stay together as a community one hundred percent. In addition, I myself might incorporate some of their traditions onto mine, maybe not for myself but for my cousins and even for my future daughter. I like they way in which everything was very detailed and organized. Also, I liked how everything had a meaning and a reason for being there. This party has motivated me to go out there and explore all the different cultures that exist in the society that I live in. This event has also taught me a lesson about life, in order for us to find ourselves we need to identify with our ancestors and continue our traditions. There is nothing more pretty than being able to bring our beliefs and customs with us. This is what identifies who we are, and who are children would be.
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.
To help many readers understand that other cultures do not celebrate or recognize the same religious traditions, the Polish, Italian, and Moroccan classmates are thrown into the classroom and add to the plot. Most readers and Sedaris audience may already have a thorough understanding of what Easter is from a religious perspective already and may be surprised that some people don’t know what Easter is. To many, Easter is one of the most important Christian religious celebrations, which is dedicated to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Knowing the important of easter, when the Moroccan student explains that she has never heard of Easter before, the other classmates try to express what it is by using and sharing their own cultural experiences. The Polish students tries to explain the events that took place and the reasoning for the holiday, while others try to express their ideas about who Jesus was. The Italian student then brought up what traditional foods are eaten on the holiday, sparking a debate between the narrator and the class about the Easter bunny and the flying Easter bell from Rome. The story gradually comes to a conclusion, with Sedaris realizing that Christianity itself has quite a few
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 quinceaera is an event that is celebrated worldwide. The term “quinceaera” means fifteen years in English. It’s an extravagant birthday bash for a young lady turning the age of fifteen. ”Celebrating my quince aos meant beginning the life of a new adult. It has also given me much more responsibility for my own actions” (Xochitl Comparan, Victoria, Texas).
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
A Quinceanera is a hispanic tradition because it is to celebrate a girl's fifteenth birthday and her transition from childhood to adulthood, typically involving a mass followed by a party. All the family are gathered
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.
In the film Quinceañera (2006), it shows controversial issues that Latinos are known to displease including teen pregnancy, being gay, and not conforming to the family’s religion. Carlos, one of the movie’s main characters, has been dishonored and kicked out
Ever since I was young I wanted to have a Quinceanera. I always wanted to wear a long and fluffy dress and a shiny crown on my head. I always saw many girls on t.v or family members have their own Quinceanera, so I decided that I wanted to have mine as well. Quinceanera are family traditions, in Mexico it’s when a young girl is about to become fifteen years old they have a Quinceanera, which represents that you are turning into a young woman.
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.
There is a lot of history behind how Quinceañeras came about just like there is for several other cultural inspired events. The Mayans and the Aztecs first celebrated this event. What happened was that on a girl’s fifteenth birthday they were looked upon as a woman and ready to marry and have children. After her fifteenth birthday she would learn how to cook, clean and care for a house and children. If a woman did not end up marrying after her celebration then she would become a nun or stay home and take care of her parents. Women were looked highly upon and were valued and respected for their ability to bear children. Today, however, the celebration is more symbolic of adulthood and gaining responsibilities and opportunities to date and learn more about their culture and religion.
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.
The Caribbean is a region known not only for its sun, sand and sea, but its festivals. Also known as ‘Caribbean Carnival’, these festivals have spread to the diaspora. Oxford Dictionaries define carnival as, “a period of public revelry at a regular time each year, typically during the week before Lent in Roman Catholic countries, involving processions, music, dancing, and the use of masquerade.” The term and concept of ‘carnival’ originated in Italy, however, with the influence of African culture, carnivals in the Caribbean took on its own form. It can be understood that the modern carnival was born out of colonialism and eventually freedom. According to Julia Hewitt: "In the Caribbean, carnival as a mode of performing resistance, carries the memory of repression and sacrifice, but also of hope, in a sense of becoming other." It is believed that the first Caribbean festival started on the island of Trinidad and Tobago during the 18th century. From Trinidad and Tobago, the festival spread to other islands. Then infused with local cultures of that country to form its own unique ‘carnival’. In this essay, the evolution of three festivals in the Caribbean and its diaspora will be examined. These three festivals are Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival, New York’s Labor Day Carnival and London’s Notting Hill Carnival. Thus showing the growth and visibility of not only ‘carnival’ but Caribbean culture.
Going to school with many different cultures is exciting. I get to learn about cultures I have no clue about, such as Buddhism, Chinese, even Japanese. Going to a school that is very diverse makes me able to talk to others and learn about their cultures, and maybe even make friends with people I thought I would never make friends with. It also goes to show that everyone was not born the same, and no matter what a person’s differences are we should respect them and have no problem conversing with them. As with me, I consider myself a diverse person. My mom is Irish/American and my dad is Lebanese, so coming from a family where two cultures come together is really interesting. We celebrate Ramadan which is the fasting during the holy month for Islam, and we also celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ in Christianity. Getting the best of both worlds is really intriguing, because I can celebrate two totally different holidays from two different religions and now how to respect both. I know for a fact that I do bring diversity to University of Toledo because not most people know an American-Lebanese.