Customary Folklore
Quinceañera:15th birthday celebration
DG
Jutiapa, Guatemala
October 2020
Informant Data:
DG is a close highschool friend of mine. She is a proud Guatemalan woman who was born in New York on August 16th, 2001. She frequently moved around the country as she grew older but remained a Connecticut resident for most of her pre-adolescence. Eventually, she and her family found a home in New Jersey and decided to settle down in the garden state. She has always been impressively adamant about her religious faith as a Christian and values the bond she shares with her family. DG is currently attending Gettysburg College, where she is a Biology major. In her spare time, she assembles and directs her school’s Christian faith group.
Contextual Data:
A Quinceanera is very similar to a sweet 16 but there is more Hispanic (Mexican) cultural root and tradition involved. In Latin American and Spanish Cultures it signifies a young girl’s transition to womanhood. There are various components throughout the ceremony that represent the coming of age aspect. (i.e the father-daughter dance, changing of the shoe, the last doll, etc..) DG informs me that her Quinceañera was really special to her because her mom and the majority of her aunts were not privileged enough to have one of their own. She felt the love every step of the way.
DG was very accommodating throughout our telephone interview and explained to the best of her ability all of the different traditions she partook in during her Quinceanera. She delved deep into how much it meant for her to have her friends and family there and for the celebration to take place in her home country of Guatemala. The rituals present in Quinceañeras vary and are uniquely different for each Latina. There is an array of similar yet modified versions of ceremonial rituals and traditions that take place during this coming of age celebration. Hispanic families have the choice to either enact ceratin traditional performances or omit them. DG speaks on this in our interview together. She highlights the fact that because she is from Guatemala, but was raised in the United States, her Quinceanera had somewhat of a mixed cultural twist to it. She also notes that one’s finical situation can play a significant role in the outcome of a Latina’s Quinceanera; causing alterations to traditional pieces of the ceremony. DG went on to inform me these are potential factors that she will take into consideration if she has a daughter of her own one day.
Item:
1.El Padre y la Hija Bailan (The Father and Daughter Dance)
This is the first dance of the night and represents that the birthday girl’s father is the first man in her life. For DG, the father-daughter dance was one of the most emotional parts of her Quince Celebration. It symbolized her first dance with her father as a young woman. Once this dance is completed the father is “ready to give her up to her future husband”
2.El Cambio de Zapatillas (A Shoe Exchange)
For this ritual, a member of the ceremony requested that DG and her father approach the dance floor. The quinceanera then sits down, and her dad changes her shoes from flats to heels. This symbolizes a change from a girl to a young woman.
3..La Ultima Múneca (The Last Doll)
During this ritual, DG relinquishes a doll from her childhood to signify that she is no longer in need of such a toy. She will then dances with the doll as part of the ceremony. This is yet another symbolic representation that the birthday girl is now transitioning into womanhood
- Bible Bestowment
Due to DG’s Christian affiliation, she has gifted a Bible during the ceremony. It is supposed to represent that the word of God will continue living through the remainder of her life.
- La Corte de Honor (The Court of Honor)
DG had a court of 14 girls who are supposed to represent the 14 years of her life leading up to her 15th year of life. If DG were to stick to tradition she would have a court comprised of 14 girls and 14 boys.
Denzel Davis -19 years Old
Dartmouth College
Slavic Folklore: Vampires, Witches, and Firebirds
Fall Term 2020