lots of love and cheer. There was a musical band, as well as a Disc Jockey (DJ) to provide the music.
We were all seated and awaited the arrival of the celebrant; this was referred to as ‘the formal entry’. She entered into the hall, accompanied by her father with some soft music playing, and roses were presented to her father as he led his daughter in. It was a very proud and emotional moment for him, to see his daughter grow up and transition into womanhood, and he wore a proud smile on his face all though the procession. After, they were seated; the toast was given by both parents, as well as her godmother. The first dance came next, with the girl dancing with her father, they danced first to Luther Vandross’ “Dance with my father” and some other traditional Hispanic music. It was beautiful; I was made to understand that they had rehearsed previously. The mother and celebrant’s brother and sister later joined them on the dance floor for the family dance and then, her court of honor danced with her. There was a salsa choreography, which was perfectly executed and then, it was everybody’s turn. I actively participated in this. There was salsa, waltz and so many other dances of various cultures. It was indeed a rich and diverse display of culture.
Next, was the ceremony of the “changing of shoes”; the celebrant’s mother presented her with a beautiful pair of high-heeled shoes. It was supposed to be her first pair of high-heeled shoes. I was made to understand that this was highly significant, as it symbolized the girl's transition into maturity. Her father came forward and presented her with a doll, which was wearing a dress similar to the ball dress the celebrant had on, it had her name printed on it. She accepted it and then re...
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...he context of their culture (Jandt, 2013). The entire ceremony, if I did not know better or had my host not explained it all to me, could have quite easily being mistaken for a wedding, the wedding of a very young girl, due to the elaborateness of the ceremony and the celebrant’s attire which was very much like a wedding dress. “It was a wedding without the groom”. This further buttressed the point that one’s behaviors should only be understood within that person’s culture, this is cultural relativism (Jandt (2013) and cultural relativism is vital to avoiding misunderstanding and its associated problems.
Everyone that attended the ceremony were gorgeously dressed, ranging from the celebrant who wore a ball gown, to her court of honor; in their dresses and tuxedos, to her parents, godparents and invited guests. Most people wore the dresses and tuxedos, some not so
A debutante’s life came at a price; for the 16 year-old Dolores it was an arranged, loveless marriage to lawyer Jaime Del Rio. Jaime was 18 years her senior, his family one of the oldest and most influential in Mexico. Their wealth allowed for a European honeymoon, where they were invited to dine with the Spanish Royal family. The honeymoon morphed into a three year romp, with Dolores delighting in voice and dance lessons at stately Madrid and Paris schools. In 1921, the couple returned to Mexico City, Jaime intent on advancing his career whil...
...erstanding of their own historical developments and maybe even desire to research the traditional developments in other cultures. Ceremony is a novel that brings up many racial and cultural issues, and if they can be recognized and used as inspiration to make changes and become better people, the world will become a better place and hopefully negative racial issues will become nonexistent.
Emilia is trying to follow Florian. “The knight’s silhouette came into view and inspired me to move faster.” (46). This quote demonstrates how Emilia fights through her pain, just to get to the knight, Florian, were she knows that she would be safe, even if he keeps rejected her. The shoe poet is talking to the wandering boy. “‘Rest. You’ll need your strength for the days ahead.’ ‘I’m fit as a lad, my dear girl.’ He pulled up the leg of his wool trousers to reveal his bony knee. It was covered in white. ‘Shoemaker’s secret,’ he whispered to the wandering boy. ‘There’s mercury in the white shoe polish. Fights off the arthritis. Fit as a lad, I am.’ The wandering boy pulled up his pant leg to inspect his own tiny knee.” (77). This quote shows how the shoe maker acts as a father-like role model who gives good advice to the wandering boy to make him feel safer under his supervision. Florian is in the estate with the group and is thinking about the shoe poet. “He seemed like a wise man, a kind man. I imagined he worked by oil lamp, cutting and sewing leather well into the night. He probably employed an apprentice and taught him an honest trade, unlike Dr. Lange, who had lured me with lies.” (88). This quote shows how Florian looks up to the shoemaker and thinks of him as a role model ever since his Father died
I decided to analyze the poem English con Salsa by Gina Valdes, because I can identify myself with this poem in many different aspects. Both my parents and I were born in Mexico, but decided to move to the United States on February of 2000. With us moving here, we brought along our traditions and customs. My family has a blend of American culture with Latino culture since a few of my uncles married American women and had children. I feel that Valdes poem is about finding that “in between” feelings that are brought up when two cultures are mixed together.
Peña, Manuel H. "Ritual Structure in a Chicano Dance." University of Texas Press: Latin American Music Review Spring- Summer 1980 1.1 (1980): 47-73. Print.
She demonstrates the meaning of Silent Dancing through perspective, imagery, and repetition which depicts how her culture goes through discrimination. Her thoughts become based off on the “typical” immigrant Puerto Rican decor. Furthermore, she includes the history of a girl–Niña– mocked by people in her hometown. She wanted to change who she was, not accepting who she was and the culture she was born in. Initially, the repetition of “la gringa” would overwhelm her mind. Niña becomes traumatized daily by the repetition of “la gringa” which means white female because she wanted to become more Americanized than being Puerto Rican. There is irony in this piece since she never ended up in the U.S., but isolated in the village far away from communities
To conclude, this essay has looked at several ways in which the melting pot myth has been represented in Once Upon a Quinceañera by Julia Alvarez. Practicing one’s cultural beliefs is a very noble idea because it keeps ones culture alive and passed down from one generation to the next. This is what Alvarez describes in her book regarding the quinceañera tradition. However, these coming of age celebrations in America have encountered the MTV era where festivities focus more on the extravagance than on the real coming of age Hispanic culture. Quinceañeras have now become corrupted because they teach girls how to behave irresponsibly when they become women. Furthermore, the ritual itself has now become a show off. It is for these reasons that Alvarez fears the future generation will totally deviate from the original intent of holding quinces.
I went to the dance. The day I was planning all along. When I got there my step-sister, Ashely was in the arms of my crush. I always thought he was different but I guess not. Maybe that guess came from because I never see him and never cared about what he is doing. She liked the year’s dance theme. It’s the masquerade ball. She was wore her mask so no one who recognize her. This was the day where she show what she’s got. She marched right to the DJ booth and gave her iPod. Then, people were confused stared at others and asking where this type of music is coming from. Cinderella started to dance with her heels on. Many people were amazed of Cinderella’s dance. She did jazz, hip-hop and many different dances.
Although Madame Loisel isn’t wealthy or part of the social class that is considered high, she tried to do everything to make herself appear as if she is. She believes that her beauty can bring her as far as becoming wealthy or being able to socialize with the wealthy. The ball is important to her because for once her appearance is equivalent with the fantasy of rising above middle class she has dreamt up in her head and “[she] was a success. She was the loveliest of all; elegant, graceful, smiling, and radiant with joy. All the other men looked at her, asked who she was, and wanted to be introduced to her… [t]he triumph of her beauty and the glory of her success enveloped her in a sort of cloud of happiness made up of all the compliments” (175). The reality is beneath her appearance because she is not wealthy, nor is she actually happy with the life she lives on a daily basis. She easily deceives everyone with her appearance to make it seem as if she does have money. Uncontrolled self-absorption can distort lives to those who worry about their appearance too much. Another example of how appearances can be misleading is the necklace that Madame Loisel borrowed. It appears as if it is made of real diamonds but instead it is fake jewelry. The fact
culture and during an important event such as a wedding it is not unusual to
This production was based on the Cuban dances and music from the 1950’s to today’s style of Cuban dance. Not only did Lizt Alfonso incorporate Cuban dance in this production, but she also weaved ballet, flamenco, and Afro-Cuba
Question Answered: Present the ways in which cross-cultural experiences strengthen a continuous development of the world environment.
The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast between various wedding customs that are prevalent in different continents of the world. The essay sheds light on culturally diverse traditions that originate in different parts of the world. It is the wide variety or cultural conventions that give each nation or tribe a unique identity. Every culture has ...
It took ten years for Mathilde and her husband to pay off the debt of buying a new necklace. Those ten years were not spent with the luxuries she experienced so many years ago at the party, nor were they filled with the simple things she once owned and despised. She came to know “the horrible existence of the needy. She bore her part, however, with sudden heroism.” When passing her rich friend again in the street, she was barely recognizable. Who she was the day she ran into her friend was not who she was the night she wore that necklace.
At the death of her mother, a rich old lady takes her to her home and brings her up. The widow of the cobbler gave Karen a pair of red shoes, which she wore for the first time at her mother’s funeral. The old lady who adopted Karen disliked, the red shoes greatly because of Karen’s obsession with them and so she burnt them. Then Karen saw the princess wearing beautiful red shoes. Her love for these shoes got re-ignited.