Quinceañera Project- Cuba
Avery, Olivia, Jonathan, and Mckenzie
1. Religious Aspect
Special Catholic Mass ceremony beforehand
14 couples walk behind when going down the aisle, represent 14 years of life
The ceremony is about presenting the 15-year old to the community as a woman
2. Decorations / Reception Accessories / Music / Food
3. Fashion / Accessories / Tradition
A Quinceañera is a big birthday party for a lady when she turns 15. It's an introduction into womanhood. There's dancing, food, lots of friends and family.
In a Quinceañera, the birthday girl usually wears a long formal dress, resembling a ball gown. They come in all colors, but usually they are pinks and traditionally in Cuba, white to show purity. The dress signifies the birthday girl's beauty before family. Sometimes the outfits are changed up to 7 times during the whole event. To come off as wealthy and luxurious is really important.
- Resembles a wedding
- Traditional Cuban dance and/or Waltz
- White or pink dress
- Lots of jeweling and things that sparkle
- Tiaras and high heels
- Traditionally have lots of lace and layers
- Accessories are always sparkly whether diamonds/fake diamonds
Music and coordinated dancing like this!
4. Invitations / Gifts for members of court / Party Favors
The invitations should go along with the theme and style of the ceremony. This is an option that shows the elegance that the ceremony will have and is in pink which is often used or worn by the girl. Make sure to budget out the price with this costing $2.15 per card. The invitations should include the date and time, as well as directions to the ceremony.
It is customary that the girl gives gifts to her court to show her appreciation for their support. Options could be a necklace for the girls or other types of jewelry that they can wear that day and for the boys, a tie or nice watch.
The cápias (printed ribbons with the Quinceanera's name and date) are pinned to the doll, and the Quinceanera circulates among her guests, thanking them for their presence and presenting them with a memento taken from the doll. Another possibility would be to give the guests other small mementos like ceramics.