Other Celebrations

Quinceneras
There are several parts to the Quincinera. Starting with a Holy Mass in which your Court of Honor and parents accompany you, you do a prayer of dedication, renew your baptismal vows, and give an offering of fresh roses to the Virgin Mary/Guadeloupe, among the standard Catholic Mass. This means you are now a woman to God and your parish. Afterwards, there is a large reception at the location of your choice. Your Court of Honor traditionally consists of fourteen couples and then you and your Chambelane de Honor make fifteen, each couple representing a year in your life. The ladies all wear the same dress, usually a color complimenting the Quincinera's dress. The gentlemen rent tuxedos and wear ties or bow ties matching the young lady’s dresses. They perform the waltz, a presentation ceremony, and if desirable, another choreographed dance. Then you do the final show, usually with encore. There is also a father/daughter dance, and the changing of the shoes.
One of the best parts about planning your Quincinera is the fact that you get to choose the people that you want in your ceremony. Usually, you have twenty-nine of your closest friends or relatives in the ceremony. You pair them off into fourteen couples. Each couple represents one year of your life. Your closest male friend should be your escort. However, he does not walk you down the aisle of the church ceremony. Your escorts down the aisle are usually your parents. The reason for this is that at the beginning of the ceremony, you are still a child and are therefore not to be escorted by a boy.