" (Duck, 1).
The young girl turning 15 is accompanied by seven young women (her damas) and seven young men (her chambelanes). "The number of damas and chambelanes can vary," explains Msgr. Patrick Brankin, pastor of St. Therese in Tulsa, Oklahoma, speaking of a ceremony he is watching, "but in this case, the total number of damas and chamberlanes was 14, which plus the quinceanera equals 15, the 'magic number' for the celebration."
Quinceanos is a commonly celebrated holiday in Latin American cultures. The girl renews her baptismal vows and receives gifts symbolic of her baptism from her padrinos: a crown to remind her one day she will be crowned with glory in heaven; a ring to remind her of the love by which she became a child of God; a medal, a Bible and a rosary to remind her of prayer, and a bracelet, called an esclava, to remind her that she has promised to remain always a servant of Christ.
The Quinceanos is a religious form of celebration of a girl's growing up to be a woman. Although it lasts just one day, rather than four, it, too has origins that go back beyond recorded history. When the Spanish mixed with the native South Americans, they adopted some of the traditions of the Indians and combined them with European traditions, one of them being the celebration of passing into puberty and becoming a grown-up member of society for women. This became settled on the 15th birthday of the girl. Part of the ceremony, therefore, is very similar to the Kinaalda of the Navajo. The young woman is celebrated in public, she is presented by her parents and friends to society. She dances first with her father, then with other male relatives and friends, then with...
She performs rituals, such as the "wedding" ceremony, she lights candles and holds flowers. Her friends present her with flowers and they all do traditional "Quince" dances. Today, commercialism has taken over much of the celebration for the Quinceanera, as families feel they must have photos and videos made, hire banquet halls and limousines and spend a lot of money on flowers and food. This contrasts greatly with the humble Kinaalda.
Although the two rituals differ in costume and the style of the dances and ceremonies, essentially the goal of the Kinaalda and the Quinceanera ritual is the same: to introduce a girl to her community and to society at large as a grown-up woman, with all the attributes of a wife and mother, formally introducing her to her role in society as a future wife and mother. Both the Kinaalda and the Quinceanera are spiritual/societal/cultural rituals that take on the aspect of a dance that must be done in a certain way. Certain clothes are worn, certain acts are done and there is food, music and dancing that complete the ritual. Everything is done in a specific order at its own rhythm, in its unique style, and there is a specific time and place to execute this ritual.
Works Cited
Amrani, Estelle Nora Harwit. "The Kinaalda Ceremony: A Dance Into Womanhood." Thesis in partial requirement for a degree. 2002. .
Duck, Marilyn. "Quinceanos: A Hispanic Catholic family tradition that celebrates a girl's 15th birthday." Eastern Oklahoma Catholic: Diocese of Tulsa News. 5 Jul 2006.
Mills, Priscilla. Quinceanera Connection. New York: American Treasures Library. 2007.
