Latinas Go All out for Their Quinceañeras

Quinceaneras

The Quinceaños, or la fiesta Quinceañera, is a rite of passage for fifteen-year- old Latina girls. It is a community and family celebration full of tradition and meaning when a young girl is symbolically escorted into womanhood by her family and the event is witnessed by her community. The word itself comes from the Spanish quince, "fifteen," and años, "years." The origins of the Quinceañera are often attributed to the ancient customs of the Aztecs, but the ceremony and meaning behind it are similar to other ancient cultural initiation rites that occurred throughout the world. Fifteen was the age when many young women left their family home to become wives and then mothers, and almost as though passing through an invisible door, a Latina enters her Quinceañera as a child but emerges as a young woman with new responsibilities. Those who know and love her will see and treat her differently from that day forward.

Latinas go all out for their quinceañeras

BY XAZMIN GARZA LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL Posted: Aug. 18, 2011 | 2:00 a.m. Updated: Aug. 18, 2011 | 10:55 a.m. When a Latina celebrates her 15th birthday she becomes a woman. These days, "becoming a woman" runs $15,000 on average. It's called a quinceañera and for many young Latinas and their families, it's just as expected as blowing out the candles.

"The day my daughter was born we started saving for her quinceañera," says Rafael Aguayo, national director for the Las Vegas-based Quinceañera Magazine. "It's a tradition, but lately the trends are more about fashion than tradition."

Quinceañera Magazine hosts the biannual Quinceañera Expo at Texas Station that brings in hundreds, sometimes thousands of 14-year-old girls planning the celebration of their 15th birthday.

Today's expo boasts three aisles of vendors pedaling everything from feather hair extensions to rhinestone-decorated Converse. In one booth hot curling irons leave perfect ringlets in girls' hair. In the next, a woman hands passers-by a limousine flier and asserts "only $200 an hour." A modeling service promises its classes will prep girls with the poise they'll need on their big day.

And then there are the dresses. Most Sweet 16 gowns resemble a typical prom dress. Quinceañera dresses tend toward lace-up corsets, an abundance of ruffles, and, most important, hoop skirts. Every last gown shown at the expo's fashion show featured a hoop skirt with a circumference large enough to shelter a couple of toddlers.

A quinceañera dress used to be just like that of the baptism and Holy Communion attire: stark white. Bold color schemes such as fuchsia and turquoise and loud patterns, such as zebra prints, have pushed that tradition out of style.

Iridian Martinez, who "would die" if she didn't have a quinceañera, will wear a royal blue dress for her event in March. Her mom, Nubia Madrigal, says the white gown will have to "wait for her wedding."

That is, if she has a wedding. According to Aguayo, the quinceañera has become a necessary, extravagant affair because of a lack of weddings in Latino communities. Nowadays couples prefer to move in together instead of tie the knot, which can prolong the event or eliminate it completely. The quinceañera could be a young Latina's one shot at the big dress, big cake and big party, so she and her family go big for the affair.

Yvonne Ponce of Henderson estimates the quinceañera for her daughter, Valerie Del Hierro, will cost $12,000. Valerie is the youngest of four children and the only daughter. She and her mom have been planning for a year and a half. She chose a "Phantom of the Opera" theme and expects to feel like a celebrity the night of her quince.

"I want it to be everything on me," she says. "I'm the star of everything."

Valerie chose a white dress, but she isn't following every tradition. She'll buck a different one in order to introduce something new. To symbolize the transition from girl to woman, it's customary for the girl to give up "la ultima muñeca," the final doll. Instead of this ritual, Valerie's father will present her with a purity ring. "It's a promise to her mom and dad to keep her purity until she's married," Ponce says.

Shelbi Byrnes also will pass on la ultima muñeca for a tradition that has taken its place in recent years. "When she's presented, she'll be wearing flats," says her mother, Maria Byrnes. "Her father will bring her a pair of high heels to change into." Simultaneously, a box of butterflies will be released.

Shelbi doesn't even turn 14 until October. She and her mom wanted to develop their game plan early on. The Byrnes' have a budget of $3,000 and hope to "get creative" with costs. Byrnes' mom did the same for her back in '85 when she had her quinceañera here in Vegas. With 14 damas (female attendants), her mother made each of their dresses.

Jennifer Camano came to the expo with friends Valeria Franco and Kenia Hernandez. All three have a 15th birthday coming up and all three have a vision for their day.

To bring Jennifer's vision to fruition, her family has been saving for four years. Luckily, "padrinos" help foot the bill. These are family and friends who sponsor different aspects of the event, such as the tiara, DJ, rosary (some quinceañeras start with a Catholic Mass), etc. It's all in an effort to help the girl and her family make it happen.

"It's like buying a house," says Martha Torres, Jennifer's aunt. "You have that dream going for a long time."

Follow Xazmin Garza on Twitter at @startswithanx. Philippines Debut Tradition rate or flag this page By kitchenbiyotch Celebrating 18th birthday for females in the Philippines is a very special event every family looks forward to. If a girl comes from a middle-class or affluent family, most of the time, they do a lot of preparations for this event. It is very popular in the country that even families who comes from low-class or even for those who doesn't have enough funds, try their best to make the event happen in their own little, special way. This way, they try to make it memorable and something the debutante will treasure for the rest of her life.

The "debutante", as she is called, is a French word meaning a "female beginner", an adult now, who is being prepared to be introduced into society and into a world of civic responsibility and social awareness. Originally, she is being exposed due to her legal age, that she will be eligible for marriage and to be formally introduced to all eligible bachelors as well. That's why this event is also called as the "coming out party".

The debut tradition consists of the 18 roses presentation, in which 18 males from family members and close friends perform a short waltz dance with the debutante. One of those roses is from the father of the celebrant, usually the first one to dance with, but some do it the last dance, so they can perform the "Father and Daughter dance" portion. Next would be the presentation of the 18 candles, which has 18 females either from family members or closest to the celebrant's heart who say their speech and wishes. They will lit each of the candle that represents all the virtues that they chose to resemble the character of being a full grown woman to guide her in her journey in life. They say each of their own piece and greetings, and after all of them are lit, the debutante will make her wish and blow all the candles and the cake is cut for the guests to enjoy. Last but not the least is the cottilon de honor, which has 9 pairs who will be presenting a waltz dance number, together with the debutante and her escort. This usually is an elaborate dance number wherein it could take from 4-10 minutes the longest which requires at least 6-8 months long rehearsal. At most times, the family of the debutante hires a choreographer so he can prepare them for the special performance and the most awaited portion of the night. The rehearsal is always at the Debutante's home who also provides food and drinks to all the participants of the cotillon de honor.

Also, a new presentation has been added wherein they call it "The 18 Symbolic Treasures/Token", where another 18 participants, either family friends and/or relatives offer a gift to the celebrant and explain why they chose to give it to her. The gift is something that the Debutante should treasure/cherish/use as she moves onto college and starting to live as a young woman.

The debutante's ball concludes with dancing by both the teenagers and the adults.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Bar Mitzvah

In Judaism, a boy is considered to be old enough to take on his religious duties when he is 13 years of age. In the OrthodoxJewish community, boys prepare for their Bar Mitzvah carefully, particularly in learning Hebrew and especially how to intone the Hebrew when reading from a scroll of the Torah in the synagogue.

On the sabbath following his 13th birthday, at the Saturday morning service, the boy will be called up to the Bimah, the central platform in the synagogue, to read from the Torah scroll. It is a great honour and marks his arrival as an adult male member of the community. The title, Bar Mitzvah, means 'Son of the Commandment'.

For the reading, he will wear a Tallit (prayer shawl). From this time on, he will also be expected to wear his tephillin (black boxes attached by straps to forehead and arm) every weekday morning when he says his morning prayers. It is his duty as an adult male to say prayers three times a day. At the synagogue he can now be included in the minimum number (the minyan) needed before a synagogue service can begin.

For girls the Bat Mitzvah (daughter of the commandment) ceremony is not the same. It occurs when girls reach the age of 12 years. There is a small synagogue ceremony, often for a group of girls together. However, in the Reform and Liberalcommunities of Judaism, where men and women are not seen to have different roles (e.g. men and women sit together in the synagogue, women can become rabbis etc.), girls are called to read from the Torah scroll and also wear a Tallit.

Staten Island youngster plans special Bat Mitzvah Published: Friday, August 26, 2011, 6:51 AM By Maura Grunlund

Jolie Saltiel of Grymes Hill stands with donated items that she delivered to the American Cancer SocietyÃ¢Â€Â™s Hope Lodge in Manhattan. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Jolie Saltiel, 12, of Grymes Hills is doing a very special Bat Mitzvah project, inspired by the illness of her grandmother.

Jolie has been collecting and delivering donations to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Jerome L. Greene Family Center in Manhattan. Her grandmother, Liliane Saltiel of Huguenot, stayed in the lodge during treatment for pancreatic cancer at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan.

"I wanted to do this project because my grandma stayed at the lodge and also I thought they needed help because they don't get as much help as other organizations," said Jolie, who is entering eighth grade at the Marsh Avenue School for Expeditionary Learning in New Springville. Beginning in June, she asked for and received donations from her synagogue, B'nai Jeshurun in West Brighton, and from relatives. The requests were based on a lodge wish list asking for a wide range of common household items intended to make cancer patients more comfortable during their stays. Jolie's parents, Jeff and Judi Saltiel, have assisted in the drop-offs.

The lodge is most in need of cash donations. "Hope Lodge is run solely on private and corporate donations, so we rely on these funds to keep our doors open," said Lindsay Edgar, manager of guest and volunteer programs at the lodge.

"Product donations help us keep our costs low so we can ensure that our donor dollars go the areas that those we serve need most."

To make donations, use the drop-off box at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun, 275 Martling Ave., or contact Ms. Edgar at [email protected]. The lodge is located at 132 W. 32 St.

The wish list:

Gift cards for Macy's, Target, Whole Foods, the Container Store and K-Mart; Dell printer toners black GD898, Yellow JD750, magenta KD557 and cyan GD907; industrial vacuum and small hand-held vacuums; broom/dustpan sets; irons; mini-refrigerators no more than 25 inches tall by 18.63 wide and 17.88 deep; hand mixers; four-slice toasters; stainless steel mixing bowls; casserole dishes; king- size and standard hypoallergenic pillows; king-size comforters; wooden trouser hangers; wooden shirt hangers; bathroom hand soap dispensers; complete white or beige towel sets and bath mats; kitchen hand towels in solid colors; regular and decaf ground coffee; sugar and artificial sweetener packets; eco-friendly dishwasher powder and dishwashing liquid; bags of hard candy; AA batteries; unscented spray disinfectant.

Kinaalda

Native American Culture Perspectives - Kinaalda: The Navajo Puberty Ritual Research in Historical and Modern Cultural Traditions By J. L. Smith When a Navajo girl reaches puberty (the time of her first menstruation), she undergoes a four day ceremony called Kinaalda which signifies her transformation from childhood into womanhood. The ceremony is centered around the Navajo myth of Changing woman, the first woman on Earth who was able to bear children. The myth says that Changing Woman performed the first Kinaalda and that the ceremony gave her the ability to have children. Because of this, all Navajo girls must also undergo the ceremony so that they will grow into strong women who can also have children. The ceremony begins in the family's Hogan where the girl and her mother sit together, facing the house's door (which is always built on the east side) and begin to prepare the girl for her 'race'. The girl's mother will comb out her hair with a traditional grass comb and tie it back in a simple pony tail with a buckskin tie. Once the girl's hair is tied back, the ceremony is considered to have officially begun. At this point, the girl's family will sing the first prayer. The prayer lasts for about thirty minutes and after it is finished, the girl will finished putting on her ceremonial attire. She wears a woven 'rug dress' that is essentially a Navajo rug that is sewn together on the sides, leaving holes for the head, arms and legs. The girl will also wear jewelry made of turquoise, shells and other materials for her ceremony. Finally, she will put on buckskin moccasins and wrap leggings around her calves to prepare herself for her run. Throughout the ceremony, the young woman will perform tasks on others that she is having performed on herself. This is because the Navajo believe that during a sacred ceremony, the participant gains the power to help others in the same way they are being helped. During the Kinaalda, this means that the young girl will be 'molded' by her mother and then she will also 'mold' others in the tribe and so on. As the next step in the ceremony, the young woman will make her first run. She will run several times over the course of her four day ceremony, usually twice a day: once in the morning and once in the evening. She will run out, as far as she can, toward the east, then she will turn and return to the Hogan. During the first night of the ceremony, she will stay in her family's Hogan where she will be forced to sit straight up with her legs straight out in front of her for the entire night without being allowed to sleep. While she sits this way, men in her family will sing more prayers. They will sing throughout the night and into the dawn while the young woman remains seated. In the morning, the young woman will begin the arduous process of making her alkaan, a large, ceremonial corn cake that will be fed to the entire tribe. She will begin by grinding pounds upon pounds of corn into meal which she will then have to stir into several batches of thick batter. To help her stir the batter, her mother will give her a special stir stick which is made out of several greasewood sticks tied together. These stir sticks are sacred to the women of the Navajo partly because they are often passed from generation to generation during the Kinaalda. To cook the large corn cake, the girl will have to dig a hole in the earth about four feet wide and one foot deep. The men of the tribe will start a fire in the hole, once it's dug, and keep the fire going while the girl participates in other parts of her ceremony. When the batter is ready, the girl will line the heated hole with corn husks that will prevent the cake from getting dirt and ash in it. Then she'll pour the batter into the whole and cover it with more corn husks. The cake will then be cooked in the hole over night during the festivities. When the cake is ready, it will be cut in a circular fashion, starting on the eastern side, and then be offered to everyone in the tribe. The center pieces of the cake are offered to the more prestigious members of the tribe like the girl's grandmother and the medicine man who presided over the ceremony. Throughout the course of the ceremony, the girl will be 'molded' several times. This is a symbolic process by which the girl's mother will have the girl stand upright before her or lay her straight on the ground and pass her hands over the girl in a motion that is similar to that of molding clay. The mother doesn't actually touch the girl, her hands hover slightly above the girl's body. The girl's hair is taken down during this time and pulled out straight. The Navajo mothers do this so that their daughters will grow strong and tall. They 'mold' the girls hoping they will grow up attractive, and thin and the girls' hair is left down and, sometimes, pulled gently so that it will grow out long and straight. After the girl is molded, she often goes out into the tribe to mold others who wish it. She will lift up smaller children in hopes that she will help them to grow tall and strong. She will also lay hands on the elderly and the sick in hopes of helping or healing them because it is believed that, during this time, she is a magical being and has the power to heal. The ceremony ends on the last day with a final run, a final molding, and the distribution of the alkaan. And, though the Navajo have an incredibly detailed ceremony to signify a girl's passage into adulthood, there is no such ceremony for boys. If anything, Navajo boys enter manhood by means of a four day solitary survival trip, though I have not been able to verify that this is something the Navajo have ever actually done. References:

American Graduation Party Rites of Passage: The High School Graduation Party Author: Joanne Huspek — Published: Jul 10, 2008 at 11:11 pm 0 comments BC Culture Premium Advertise here now

After thirteen tenuous years of education, my youngest child graduated from high school in May. I would breathe a sigh of relief, but it’s not over yet. My daughter’s graduation open house is scheduled for tomorrow night.As if the entire universe has felt her teen anguish, the entire world is rallying around her to help her celebrate this significant occasion. I have relatives flying in from out of the country. There’s stuff stacked in the garage waist high. I haven’t been involved in planning a shindig like this one for a few years. Back then, business was stellar and the cash flowed free and easy. I held office Christmas parties in nice hotels with open bars and karaoke contests where the loser’s prize was almost as nice as the winner’s.Then the bottom dropped out. There’s not much to celebrate these days. I show my employee appreciation by handing out a holiday gas card. The party tomorrow feels like the last gasp of a brighter by-gone time.Unlike my oldest child, who has been blessed with a photographic memory, excellent grades, and an amazing talent at the piano, my daughter has always struggled with school. Indeed, she’s always felt an unwilling participant in academics and music, whatever brightness of her own life constantly overtaken by the long shadows of her older brother. She is dyslexic and suffers from ADD. There were times when I felt that graduation wasn’t a given.My son’s high school graduation party centered around his triumphant senior recital. He was moving on to conservatory training on the West Coast. My daughter’s party is planned as a jubilant “Yeah, baby!” She’s moving to the West Coast, too, but it feels more like deliverance from her current state of affairs.As a parent of two distinctly different personalities, it’s sometimes awesome to watch these two, and oftentimes painful. As a modern parent observing the rites of graduation, I have to wonder when the receiving of a high school diploma came to mean so much.I could bellyache the old mantra, “Back when I was a kid.” It would be the truth. Back when I was a kid, I wasn’t treated to a high school graduation party. I considered myself lucky to receive as my graduation gift the antique Remington typewriter my mother gleaned from a second hand store. (She knew I liked to write.) I didn’t get a dinner, a cake, or presents. I walked out of my parents’ front door with a simple “Hello adulthood” and “Goodbye childhood”.Of course, it’s all different now.We won’t spend as much as some parents have, but it’s enough to feel a pinch in the pocketbook. I can’t see the need for a full-scale blow out. If and when she gets out of college with a degree in hand, I will likely change my mind.My daughter’s high school graduation party feels like the grand launching of a new era. She proudly proclaims her intentions of getting serious with college studies. She thinks being two-thousand miles from her friends and boyfriend will be a positive influence. In the back of my mind, I’m wondering if the close proximity to the ocean will have the exact opposite effect.Meanwhile, her friends will get together, hang decorations, and accomplish final bonding before heading off to school next month. With every rite of passage comes the flush of success.Tomorrow night, we’ll all smile politely and help her celebrate what will hopefully be the first of many momentous occasions.

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/rites-of-passage-the-high- school/#ixzz1Xn2bUScN

Land Divers of Vanuatu

By Mike Lee

P E N T E C O S T I S L A N D, Vanuatu, July 25

They are the real deal: the original bungee jumpers.

Deep in the jungle of Pentecost Island, part of the Vanuatu archipelago of the South Pacific, young men fling themselves from wooden towers 100 feet high, with nothing but slim tree vines to stop their fall.

They have no nets and no safety equipment, no water or cushions to soften the impact.

"If you come and the two vines break, it means you break your neck, or your backbones, or maybe your legs," says village leader Luke Fargo.

But Fargo says they have to do it, despite the dangers. "It's our traditional thing, so we must do it from year to year."

The tradition, known as "land diving," dates back centuries. It originated as a rite of passage for young men trying to prove their manhood.

The idea is to jump from as high as possible, and to land as close to the ground as possible.

It is also a harvest ritual. The islanders believe the higher the jumpers dive, the higher the crops will grow.

A Precision Art

Building a dive tower is a time-honored science. The wood has to be strong, so it is freshly cut. The vines that hold it together and act as jump ropes have to be supple and elastic, with plenty of sap inside. Otherwise they might snap.

A trusted village elder selects which vines to use, matching them to the weight of each jumper. Then the ends are shredded, so the fibers can be twisted into a loop for the jumper's ankle.

The judgments have to be precise. Just 1 ounce too much weight, or 1 inch of dry vine, can cause the vines to snap, slamming the jumper into the ground.

A fall can cause serious injury, or even death. When Britain's Queen Elizabeth visited Vanuatu in 1974, the Pentecost islanders put on a land diving show for her. However, it was the wrong season and the vines were dry — so they snapped, with diver after diver hitting the ground. One of them later died, the only fatality in living memory.

Putting on a Show

Land diving has now become an industry on the island. The villagers earn money from tour companies who send foreigners to watch their exploits.

Attracted to the danger, extreme sports enthusiasts from all over the world offer to pay hundreds of dollars to try land diving themselves.

"They tried to ask us to do it, but we don't allow them, because if they miss, maybe they get injured and sometimes they die," says Fargo.

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