Celebrating Quinceañeras

Still dancing Quinceañeras carry on through coronavirus, just a bit late

By Allison Dunn Contributing writer

Deanna Flores initially planned on a large celebration to recognize her 15th birthday and the important milestone from girlhood to womanhood, but as with many aspects in life, the coronavirus pandemic had other plans. Life over the past year for the now 16-year-old Adrian High School junior was anything but normal. She balanced virtual and in-person learning and also saw her brother miss out on some of the most memorable events as a high school senior. But the pandemic also fell into the time that Deanna was turning 15 and wanting to celebrate with a quinceañera, part religious ceremony, part birthday party, that recognizes a girl becoming a young woman in the Latin community. “Despite the transformations that it has undergone, the quinceañera ritual has not lost its importance in recent years,” Robin Cavgnoud wrote in 2013 article published on Liège Université’s Portial de Publication de Périodiques Scientifi ques about the celebration for young Peruvian girls. “This celebration has been adapted to modern forms in order to survive. For women of thirty, forty, or fi fty year olds, stories related to this event are usually fi lled with emotion and nostalgia. Likewise, this celebration is still central in the lives of young girls.”

As a young teenager, Deanna Flores expressed interest in having a quinceañera celebration, and her mother, Angela Flores, was determined to make it a special day. “I was a little surprised because she’s a very shy person, but she was really set on having one,” the mother said. “I really wanted to do it for her because I wanted her to be able to experience that.” A quinceañera starts with a ceremony or mass, commonly followed by a glitzy celebration, which often resembles a wedding, with a banquet hall, music and dancing, and beautifully designed ball gowns. The vendors, including a hall, band, and photo booth were booked for Deanna’s party in May 2020. She had a beautiful, pink ball gown and planned to get her hair, nails and makeup done. Invitations were prepared to send to guests and the family was ready to celebrate with around 100 of their closest family members and friends.

But as the number of coronavirus cases increased in Michigan and across the country, various orders were issued to help minimize the spread. The Flores family had to reevaluate how to move forward.

Unsure of when things may be somewhat “normal,” the family opted to move the May celebration to Aug. 29, 2020.

“We were thinking everything would be OK and it still wasn’t,” Angela Flores said, adding the family considered moving the date further, celebrating during her 16th birthday, and even canceling the event altogether.

“The look on her face when she thought it wasn’t going to be able to happen, I just said ‘We gotta fi gure it out,’” Angela Flores recalled. The family decided to throw a celebration in their backyard under a large tent and around 50 people showed up throughout the evening. It wasn’t what was initially planned but they made the best of it with homemade cooking and trying to maintain as many social-distancing practices as possible. Deanna admitted she was upset when she learned the party would be a little diff erent than expected, but she said she was thankful for everyone who came.

Most importantly, she realized the value of the church ceremony, she said. “Everyone that came and cared about coming made me think that I was important to them, and receiving the important gifts like the rosary, my necklace, Bible and bracelet also made me think it was more important at the moment in the church,” she said. During the traditional ceremony, pairs of girls and boys, representing a year in the girl’s life, walk down the aisle, followed by the quinceanera and her parents.

The young girl makes a commitment to God to live the rest of her life according to the teachings of Christ and by renewing her Baptismal promises, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Relatives and friends, or sponsors, make a special presentation of gifts, including a tiara or crown, a pair of earrings, a cross, a rosary, and a Bible.