Posted on 05/06/2018 11:48:05 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
For Hispanic girls in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the United States and elsewhere, the 15th birthday marks the most lavish celebration of their lives. Designating a girl’s transition from childhood to adulthood, the quinceañera is a two-part festivity that traces back to both indigenous and European cultural traditions and has become an increasingly opulent affair in recent years. Parents may even spend more on their daughters' "Sweet 15" quinceañeras than their weddings, in fact, which is why some refer them as mini bodas, or miniature weddings. Not counting the birthday presents a young girl might receive, a low-end quinceañera in the United States can easily cost about $3,000 [source: Colloff].
One look at a quince girl (a nickname for the quinceañera honoree) on her special day, and the high price tag makes sense. First off, there's the outfit: Often made of satin with lace overlays and rhinestone accents, quinceañera dresses, the visible centerpieces of these celebrations, mirror what Cinderella might’ve worn to her fairytale ball. The floor-length gowns are traditionally white or pale pink, but the revived quinceañera culture accepts dresses in a rainbow of hues. Perched on the quince girl’s head is a delicate tiara or crown, the symbolism of which we’ll discuss later in the article, and in her hands -- at least at the beginning of the ceremony -- she might hold a Bible or book of prayer.
Although its emphasis is more on the party than the prayer, the quinceañera starts at the local Catholic church. Before any birthday cake is cut, the quince girl attends a special Mass in which she reaffirms her dedication to God and receives a blessing from the priest....
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You are welcome. There are so many wonderful people here. I hope newcomers don’t get discouraged by such posts.
As if it is the fault of others that “we” embraced the contraceptive culture.
Thanks. It is a lovely custom. My son knelt with his bride at the feet of the Virgin at their wedding and started a new tradtion in the Bride’s hometown in Mexico.
Sweet.
Great post!
They sure do a great job : (
Right & right.
That is what I quietly tell myself whenever anyone complains about the birthrate of immigrants.
The couple did this at a wedding my band played at recently. The young man was from Tijuana and was dressed in a full charro costume, including spurs.
We had a bit of a time convincing the "director of sacred music" at the Cathedral that we were playing "Catholic sacred music."
"It's Norteno Conjunto Catholic sacred music!" I sent him the lyrics.
¡Ajua! ¡Ándele!
One of Asuncion’s most-requested solos is a ranchero ballad, “Alma, Vida, y Corazon.” All the words come from Latin prayers to the Virgin Mary.
Cool! Instead of saying “¡Ajua! ¡Ándele!” I should have said “¡Amen!¡Aleluya!”
You’re good with the punctuation. I’ve been taught to do it several times - like knitting - but it never took.
How lovely to hear.
For the groom to do that was unheard of 15 years ago.
Now happening all the way throughout southern Sonora to Tijuana.
This is the second time I’ve seen both spouses do the presentation of the flowers. At a wedding in my parish in December, the statue of the Virgin was in the Blessed Sacrament chapel, and the bride and groom placed the flowers, then knelt in front of the tabernacle for a musical interlude before they returned.
P.S. How about a taste of the lyrics here? Were you matiachi? We are used to Mariachi masses on the borders.
Alma, Vida, y Corazon
1. Dios te salve, Reina y Madre
De dulzura y esperanza,
Y bendito sea Jesus,
Que en tu vientre se encarno,
Por tu gran carisma y gracia.
En tu amparo me acojo
No desprecies mi plegaria.
Necesito tu calor,
Y tu amor, Madre de Dios,
Y tu bendita esperanza.
(coro) Alma, vida, y corazon
Te ofrezco en este dia,
Virgen sagrada Maria,
Mirame con compasion,
No me dejes, Madre mia.
Pues todo un Dios se recrea
En tan graciosa belleza.
A ti, celestial princesa,
Bendita sea tu pureza,
Y eternamente lo sea.
2. O Senora, Madre mia,
Te ofrezco por completo,
Y en prueba de mi afecto
Te consagro mis sentidos,
Toda mi naturaleza.
(coro)
La Familia
Que ninguna familia comience en cualquier de repente,
Que ninguna familia se acabe por falta de amor.
La pareja sea el uno en el otro de cuerpo y de mente
y que nada en el mundo separe un hogar soñador.
Que ninguna familia se albergue debajo del puente
y que nadie interfiera en la vida y en la paz de los dos.
Y que nadie los haga vivir sin ningún horizonte
y que puedan vivir sin temer lo que venga después.
La familia comience sabiendo por qué y donde va,
y que el hombre retrate la gracia de ser un papá.
La mujer sea cielo y ternura y afecto y calor,
y los hijos conozcan la fuerza que tiene el amor.
Sacramento de Amor
1. Dios de la vida y del amor
La unión es sacramento del señor
Sin prisas día a día por vivir
El lenguaje expresivo del amor
Matrimonio es comunicación
El misterio de dios sacramentado
Es un bueno te amo a diario
Conquista de dios en esta unión
(coro) Con este sacramento sellaremos esta alianza
Ante dios marido y mujer son
Y que el hombre no se pare esta bella unión
Como encanan se quedó su bendición
No, not mariachi, although sometimes when we have three guitars (my husband, my daughter, and our “real Latin guitarist,” Don Manuel from Puerto Rico), they get pretty excitable and we all Ay-ay-ay.
Don Manuel plays all the traditional old rhythms, and my husband is trained in flamenco, and also mixes rock and bluegrass and blues and whatever he thinks sounds good. He doesn’t know any Spanish, so sometimes I have to tell him, “Eighty-six the power chords: this is a sad song about someone’s mother’s death!”
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