The Quinceañera

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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.

A quinceañera receives a gorgeous gift from a family member on her fifteenth birthday, something that she will carry with her forever. In this cultural celebration for our family, it is very important for the father to give his daughter a special jewelry that resembles his love for her on her fifteenth birthday; the way it presents itself, how it would embody her physically, and how it would be carried throughout the years. My father took time and care in choosing the right gift for his princess. The gift that my father gave me was a necklace that touched my heart. It shines when light hits the gold carvings. It glistens in different shades of yellow when the sun comes out. This necklace started as a real gift of nature, so it has some natural variation in the size and shape. Every ornament is unique! The leaf is plated in copper, nickel, and finally gold. The process of the plating leaf into gold made the importance stronger to me, because it is very time consuming. There are two layers of metals applied to the leaf before the gold was applied. These layers help make the leaf very sturdy and long-lasting. It connects to the chain with an oval clip that has small cuts mimicking the shades and shape of a sea shell. The chain has two thin layers of gold crossing together, creating an ong...

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...ood that is served has many sides and is commonly brought out to the guest as they are watching the dance. The dessert is the most important part of dinner, because it is the birthday cake. The cake is the centerpiece of the party, and is decorated accordingly to the designs in the room. A quinceañera cake can be similar to a bridal cake in size and elegance. It is generally stacked and topped with gorgeous icing to attract attention. Loud music is played throughout the night for dancing and having a great time, celebrating a young Mexican girls fifteenth birthday.

All Birthdays are important, but there is no other birthday that can over shadow a quinceañera. A quinceañera is more than just a birthday party; it is also a rite of passage, a religious occasion, and a celebration of heritage. My Fifteenth birthday will forever be frozen into my memory.

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