In Honduras and much of Latin America, a girl’s quinceañera (15th birthday) celebrates her transition into womanhood and is often a bigger deal than her wedding. It’s a chance to make her feel loved and celebrated, as well as a reminder of the plans God has for this next season of her life and how far He has already brought her. As a child sponsor, I’ve made it my personal goal to help celebrate each of my sponsored girls’ quinceañeras. As often as possible, this will mean being there for the celebration and throwing a whole party. Other times, it will simply mean sending a dress and decorations so they can celebrate with their families. I was recently blessed to be able to spend a weekend with my Estefani and her family in Honduras, celebrating her quinceañera at the beautiful Hilton Princess hotel.
Here are some of the gifts and elements we included in the celebration. Whether you are visiting your sponsored child in person for the celebration or sending gifts in their backpack, I hope this gives you ideas of some things to include.
The gown & accessories: We got Estefani’s quinceañera gown from Amazon. These gowns in stores often cost hundreds or thousands of dollars; but Amazon has several beautiful options under $100. Just search "quinceañera gown" to see many beautiful options right on the first page. Most of them are not on Prime and can take a few weeks to arrive, so plan ahead. I got her tiara and bracelets from Claires. The necklace and earrings were a gift from her aunt. I also gave her some makeup as a gift for the occasion- some light blush and eye shadow, lip gloss, mascara, and eye liner.
Surprise dress: One element of a quinceañera in the US is the surprise dance. I don’t know whether this is traditional or whether it’s a modern addition. Typically, the surprise dance is when the girl comes out during the reception in a 2nd dress her guests haven’t seen before and does a dance that reflects something about her personality. Since Estefani’s party was just 6 of us in a hotel restaurant, there was no dancing. Still, I’ve made it my own tradition to give my girls a surprise dress for their quinceañera. In addition to the formal gown they know about ahead of time, I surprise them with this pretty-but-significantly-less-fancy dress on the day of the party. The purpose of this dress is so she can have something more comfortable if she doesn’t want to wear her gown all night or if her gown doesn't fit; and so she’ll have something pretty to wear at home on her actual birthday if the party falls on a different day. I did the same thing for my Melania for her quinceañera in 2014. If you aren't visiting for the occasion or think the girl's parents may want to buy the fancier gown themselves, you could also send just the surprise dress. I've done this with a few of my girls when I wasn't sure what kind of celebration they were having. Here is Estefani wearing her surprise dress at home with a family friend on her actual birthday, the week after her party.
The ring: I asked my friend who attended another quinceañera in Honduras about a month before this one what traditional things I should include. She told me the girl’s mother had given her a special ring that would some day be replaced by her wedding ring. This is similar to the idea of a purity ring; I just don’t use that name any more because I want my girls to know they are pure through the blood of Christ even if they make a mistake, and that it’s never too late to start following His plan for their lives. The focus of this ring is to remind the girl of who they are in Christ and what He has for their futures, to encourage them to wait for that. I got Estefani this adjustable ring from Amazon since I wasn’t sure of her size. It is shaped like a crown to remind her that she is a daughter of the King. To be honest, there was so much going on at her party that I didn’t get to explain this meaning in detail when I gave it to her. I sent a letter later talking about it. My friend also told me that at the quinceañera she attended recently, the girl was given a special bible as a gift. I had just given Estefani a bible in her backpack this past year which is why I didn't include one in the celebration, but this is another idea. This bible is specifically a quinceañera design and is in Spanish.
The heels: One of the most important parts of a quinceañera is the heel ceremony. This is when one of the parents changes the girl’s shoes from flats to heels- a symbol of growing up. Estefani ended up being uncomfortable in her heels and wore the flats all night, but they'll be something special she can keep for when she's a little older.
The doll: Another part of a quinceañera is the last doll. This is, traditionally, when the girl receives a doll as a gift for the last time before she becomes an adult. Estefani already received the doll she really wanted (an American Girl) earlier this year and likely won’t be interested in them for much longer, so I just got her a small one from the dollar store as a way to keep the tradition. I didn’t want to invest too much into something she’d likely never use. Her little cousin ended up claiming the doll as her own by the end of the night and playing with it at the dinner table, which is fine. Quinceañera dolls usually have fancy dresses to match the girl’s. Even a Disney Princess doll or princess Barbie could work.
No comments:
Post a Comment