Say quinceneara or quincenera and step into history. As far as history is concerned, you can go as far back as you want. You will find out that the celebration of quincenera is a huge affairs uniting all the members of the family including padrinos and madrinas. Quincenera is a hispanic tradition of marking a girl's 15th birthday. Its equivalent could be the the sweet sixteen. So Quincenera is not small affairs as many parents and those closer to the planning, purchasing,organizing the party will tell you. If you travel to places such as Florida, California, Texas, Virginia and places that are known centers of hispanic culture, you will see that Quincenera is a year-round business. San Diego, The Central San Joaquin Valley of California, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Francisco can see hundreds of quincenera celebrations in a year. No wonder that quincenera celebration has gained in popularity and prominence. Parents are known to lavish on their daughters. Padrinos and madrinas tend to spend a lot too.
According to various party planners and hispnic cultural experts, the U.S. Hispanic population increase is also part of the emphasis placed on reconnecting with the cultural elements or artifacts. For a quince girl, it is no more a question of having pinatas. Quincenera celebration is $ multimillion business a year. This figure makes sense considering that all Hispanic cultures from Mexico in the North, Central America and South America, celebrate some variations of Quincenera.
Quincea�era celebrations are unique to Latin American culture, but no one is completely sure where the tradition started. Some think it grew out of ancient Aztec and Mayan coming-of-age rituals; others think the Spanish and French conquerors brought over debutante ball and royal court presentation practices which were adopted by the native peoples. For example, some credit Carlota, the Austrian empress of Mexico, with introducing the royal court customs to Mexican society. How the tradition spread through the rest of Latin America is unclear, but it did!
European influences are obvious, even though quincea�eras don't take place there. Some quincea�era terms and practices seem to be taken directly from the royal courts of Europe, including the court of honor, coronations, scepters and choreographed waltzes. But debutante balls and royal court presentations lack the religious aspect that quincea�eras stress. It is most likely that quincea�eras grew out of a blending of Old and New World traditions.
Quinces will feel like a star with the full skirts, creative colors, and the soft look of these exquisite gowns. Unusual colors and unique detailing on the gowns are two new looks that will be sought after by all. Angela Baker-Brown, owner of Tatiana�s, a quincea�era shop in New York, says, "The newest looks are colors you�ve never seen before in quincea�era gowns and the beautiful detailing of the pick-up skirt. Colors have been increasingly popular, but the new unusual colors coming from the designers will help each girl bring their own sense of individuality to their party. Coral, peacock blue, daffodil, pistachio green, melon, cotton candy, and bubble are just a few of the new colors gracing the runways.
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