Posts tagged alive

Hispanics account for 18% of the Metro Denver population.   This demographic group has preserved their cultural heritage.   One of the most popular customs is the quinceanera Denver.   This is an event for women that celebrates the symbolic passing from a girl to a full grown woman.   This ritual pretends to make the girl aware of the new freedoms and also the responsabilities that come with turning 15 years old. The celebration of a quinceanera is a big event for the entire family.   For mexican girls having a big quinceanera party is sometimes more relevant than having a proper wedding party.   The origin of the quinceanera is traced to the Aztecs, for the boys there was an initiation for manhood, which basically called for the boy to become a warrior. For girls it was the quinceanera which was a ritual that called for leaving their girlish ways and games to become more focused on attaining womanhood.   When the spaniards came to Mexico the cultures mashed together and the ritual of quinceanera was incorporated into the catholic religion, with the passing of time many other religions have flourished in Mexico and adapted this ritual with them.   For many Denver businesses, “quinceaneras” have become the bread and butter of their living.   To have a proper quinceanera there’s many must have items such as the quinceanera dress, tiara (the crown), medal with the cross, bible and the rosary.   This is only for the girl, the rest of the participants will have matching dresses and suits similar to a wedding party.    The way the event is celebrated has to do a lot with social classes and every “good” family wants to have the best party for their little girl. There’s a phrase in spanish that is used often along with quincearera parties, which is “tirar la casa por la ventana”, this translate into throwing the house out the window, for many families this means going in debt for years to come to have a dignified event.   This is why many of the businesses that cater to these events are willing to spend top marketing dollars to always be in the consumers mind.   Typically in Mexico these events are celebrated in their backyards, or for well off families in the best banquet room available. In Denver Co, it is sometimes difficult to celebrate in the backyard due do space limitations, zoning or fire regulations, most of the time these are celebrated in locales that are able to accomodate many guests.   This is a tradition slowly moving in to american homes replacing the sweet sixteen party, many american girls find this a richer tradition and something that is almost a fairy tale story.