Quinceanera: What Makes It An Important Ceremony For Young Women?

Before you start doing research on quinceanera as a ceremony, you must first understand what this word really means. The word quinceanera denotes a girl who has turned or is about to turn fifteen. If you know a girl who is about to celebrate her fifteenth birthday, you should be ready to receive some well-designed quinceanera invitations.

Though there has been a lot of debate around the origin of quinceanera, it is widely believed that this ceremony was first celebrated in Mexico in the 5^th century B.C. As per traditional knowledge, the Mayans and Aztecs designed these ceremonies to serve as a symbol of a young girl reaching the end of her puberty.

Between 1519 and 1821, Mexico was dominated by Spanish rulers. During this time, the area witnessed the arrival of several prominent European elements in its indigenous culture. In the year 1864, Maximillian was declared Mexico’s new emperor. He was the one who introduced ball gowns and formal waltz to these ceremonies.

With time, several influential people embellished this ceremony with their ideas and sensibilities. The ceremony started getting popular all across the world and each country or culture adopted it beautifully in different ways.

How Is It Celebrated Today?

While different cultural groups celebrate quinceanera today, Mexicans are known for carrying out the celebrations in the most authentic manner. It is structured as an event or a ceremony that marks the transition of a girl from puberty to adulthood.

A girl who is about to turn fifteen and will take center stage at such a ceremony is referred to as a quinceanera. The ceremony also serves the purpose of introducing an adult woman, amidst the presence of family members, relatives and friends, to society.

What Is Included In a Quinceanera Ceremony?

The various themes and elements that are a part of a quinceanera family, have a common thread running – family. It is an important ceremony for the family which is extremely proud and happy to see their young girl crossing the stage of adolescence and taking her first steps towards becoming an adult.

The ceremony starts with a thanksgiving mass. Here, you see the celebrant thanking her family and the people around her for being with her as she celebrates entering a new phase in her life. According to the traditions, the girl should be accompanied by a bunch of ladies and gentlemen closer to her age.

Before the quinceanera ceremony, the celebrant has a lot of fun choosing her attire for the day. A well-designed, of any color, should be suitable for the celebrant to wear during their quinceanera ceremony. While ladies are supposed to wear dresses, dark suits are considered to be the most suitable attire for men attending a quinceanera ceremony. If you are planning to send invitations to somebody, you should have a look at some of the designs at Alibaba.

While different families celebrate a quinceanera ceremony differently, there are certain elements that are common to cultural groups that commemorate this special occasion. While you can be flexible in your approach, there are certain things you need to do to ensure the essence of the ceremony is retained.