Quince Años
A “Quince Años” is a 15th birthday party for girls in Mexico. It is a common celebration for girls as a rite-of-passage. We’ve heard of these events before, but this was our first time to attend one. For believers, it is a time of dedication and challenge for a young woman. As you can see in the following pictures, the ceremony and reception are much like a wedding.
After the processional, the Quinceaña is seated at the front of the church for the remainder of the service/ceremony.
And afterward, the recessional…
If you are noticing that people are not smiling much, it’s because it is a very formal event.
When the service was over at the church, we drove over to a rented hall on the north end of town for a large reception complete with dinner and cake.
Joelle got her turn “at bat” too.
There are several traditional gifts given to the Quinceaña like a new Bible, a ring, a tiara, a doll (signifying her last doll), and high-heeled shoes. The gifts are each given by close friends and relatives. It’s an honor to be asked to give one of the gifts. This next picture is of her receiving the shoes.
The final event of the evening was the cutting of the cake. It’s a Mexican tradition to push the face of the one who’s birthday it is into the cake. Even at a formal event like this one, the birthday tradition continues as shown by this next series of photos.
This was a great cultural event for our family to participate in. It comes at great expense to the Mexican family and we appreciated everything that was done. It was a joyful celebration and very tastefully done. Joelle is already planning her Quince Años, though I’m not sure if we’ll be doing one for her. 
Posted by on 08/12
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09/25 at 02:35 PM
Ah yes, its not a mexican festival without a pinata and someone’s face getting cake on it! Some day I’d like to go to a quinceanera party too. Que experiencia fabulosa, no?