In January 2020 we celebrated my daughter's Quinceañera, and as promised, here are some pics.
Photo Credit : Zaluski Designs and Photography
If you are wondering what a Quinceañera is, it’s a coming of age party when a girl turns 15 in latin cultures. It started off in Mexico where parents would introduce their daughters to the community as young women who are now available to marry (not that Alissa is available to marry now, haha). Even though that tradition is far removed from our culture today, I still believe it is important to acknowledge the transition form girl to young womanhood and to acknowledge my latin heritage.
I moved to Bolivia when I was 14 so my memories are full of attending the Quinceañeras of other girls. Back then, this marked the time when the girl could now wear heels, wear makeup, and dance with a boy for the first time. It was funny, too, when the weekend after a Quinceañera the girl would suddenly show up with TONS of makeup on! Haha.
A Quinceañera is a big party with a few formalities. The girl gets to choose a “court of honour” which is 1-14 of her “best friends.” They get ready together, take photos, have a lot of fun, and sit at the head table with the girl who is coming of age.
Photo Credit : Zaluski Designs and Photography
There is the first dance, which is between the father and daughter, and then it’s followed with other significant men in the girl’s life (grandfathers, uncles, and brothers.)
Photo Credit : Zaluski Designs and Photography
The weather did not co-operate for Alissa’s Quinceañera. We had a snow storm the day “of” and all day I thought everyone would cancel. I was so happy and surprised that almost everyone was able to make it, and we only had one person cancel due to weather.
We had a great time. It was important for me to have this party for my daughter as a way to keep the latin tradition alive in my family. Both my parents are from Bolivia and I lived there for seven years of my life. We had 180 guests, and the majority of them had never heard of a Quinceañera.
It was months of planning, but it all paid off seeing my daughter so happy. The next day her comment was, “that was the best day of my life!”
I love that my family and friends were able to learn more of latin culture and that we were able to celebrate this special time in my daughter’s life.
A big thank you to Boutique Linen Rentals, who really made everything so beautiful and achieved the “winter wonderland” look that we were going for. What cultural traditions do you keep in your family? I'd love to hear about them.