A Quinceañera is the Latina version of a Sweet Sixteen party, except done up bigger, louder, and fluffier. There are many takes on the quinceañera experience, depending on the specific Latin-American country you call yours.

For Cubans, especially those living in Miami, the quinceañera is often a big party in a banquet hall, with fifteen couples doing an elaborately choreographed dance, capped off by dinner and a loud, DJ-led party. Most Cubans eschew the traditional Mass preceding the party, which is a core element for other Latin-American quinceañeras, nor do they perform the traditional "first high heels" thing, wherein a parent presents the honored girl with her first pair of grown-lady shoes.

In exchange, most Cuban girls, even the ones who don't have a party, take formal portraits. These are similar to engagement photos, though the dresses are bigger, badder, and sparklier than most bridal gowns. The quinceañera often takes her portraits at beautiful Miami locales--the Biltmore, Vizcaya, the Spanish Monastery, Parrot Jungle.

Yes. Parrot Jungle.

Or, at least, the Parrot Jungle that was. Parrot Jungle is no longer in the same place as it was in the 90s when I was a teenager. Old Parrot Jungle is mainly a splash park for little kids now.

But in the 90s, it was the scene of this:


The hair was huge. The dress was huge-er. The eyebrows? Also huge. Fifteen year old me, though, felt like a princess. And even though I didn't have a big party (instead, I took a few friends ice-skating), I was definitely a quinceañera.

Cubans say that at 15 a woman is at her most beautiful. This is a creepy saying, for sure, and one I disagree with plenty. Still, it suggests the importance of the age in our culture.

So, color me not surprised when Penny, who is eight years old, asked if she could have a quinceañera. Here. In Alabama. "We'll see," I told her. Can you imagine 28 Alabama kids dancing salsa and merengue in front of their horrified/delighted parents?

That decision is still seven years away, thank goodness. In the meantime, if you find yourself interested in quinceañera culture, check out one of my favorites, Julia Alvarez's Once Upon a Quinceañera.


It's a work of nonfiction where Alvarez attends several quinceañera parties from across a couple of Latin American cultures, and examines them as a way of viewing Latino/a culture in the moment. It's riveting and sweet, and there is this AMAZING section in the end where she invites Latina "madrinas," well-known authors themselves, to give advice to young women.

If you can't tell, I'm a big fan of Julia Alvarez, who was recently awarded a National Medal of Arts.

And a big happy birthday to all the girls celebrating their quinces in 2014. Go on with your bad selves, ladies.