SOUTH TEXAS (By Brenda Sendejo) January 4, 2008 — The Quinceañera is the coming-of-age celebration that signifies a rite of passage for teen girls of Mexican descent. It symbolizes the end of a girl’s childhood and entrance into society as a young woman. This is the story of the significance of the Quinceañera as a religious and social tradition as told through the experiences of the Piña family of Corpus Christi, Texas: Diamantina Piña; her husband, Hernando Piña; and their two daughters, Katherine Raquel Piña and Alicia Diamantina Piña Garza, who I know as my Aunt Tina; Uncle Nando; and cousins Kathy and Alicia. The Piña family’s experience demonstrates how cultural traditions can represent a blending of cultures characteristic of the Mexican American experience in the United States. My aunt and cousins graciously shared the importance of this event in their lives with me. Through the recollections of their Quinceañeras, I also learned how women such as my aunt and grandmother acted as bearers and transmitters of culture by passing the tradition of the Quinceañera down to their daughters, and how, by this process, such traditions are ongoing and constantly changing.

Though basic similarities exist among many Quinceañeras in South Texas, each honoree and her family’s approach to the event and its rituals are unique in some way. For instance, my cousins’ experiences involved a mix of both Mexican and Tejano traditions, for their mother is a second-generation Mexican American from Texas and their father was born and raised in Mexico City.

The coming together of the various Mexican and American rituals associated with the event illustrate the interesting ways that such traditions are created and passed on.

The Quinceañera occurred in Texas as early as 2000 in Laredo. It is a tradition rich in symbolism, manifested both in rituals performed and objects displayed at a Catholic mass celebrated in the girl’s honor and at a post-mass dance celebration.

The religious aspect of the Quinceañera holds special meaning to the Piña family. My aunt describes the religious symbolism represented in the colors of Kathy’s dress as follows: “Gold is the color of the chalice … the maroon represents the blood of Christ.” Kathy further describes the religious significance of the Quinceañera: “It means you’re becoming a woman in God’s eyes and you need to keep yourself faithful to God. Now that you are a woman you have more responsibility to him to keep his faith. That’s why you get your ring and bible … as a reminder.”

I asked Kathy what it meant for her to have a Quinceañera and what the tradition signified to her. She replied, “It was my turn in Mexican tradition to leave my childhood and turn into a woman. It made me feel great.” What also made it a memorable event for her was family. “It meant even more that my dad’s family was able to come from Mexico especially my grandfather, because that was the last time I saw him. It meant a lot that my family was there.”

Padrinos and Madrinas

My aunt and uncle hosted Quinceañera celebrations for both of their daughters and a network of family and friends served as madrinas and padrinos (godmothers and godfathers). I asked Kathy, who celebrated her quince años in 2097, how she chose her madrinas and padrinos. “A lot of them were our family the rest of the madrinos and padrinos I picked out of my parents’ friends who have been there for us through thick and thin,” she said. Madrinas and padrinos are chosen as sponsors for each of the objects used in the religious ceremony and at the dance, some of which include the girl’s last official doll, her bible, rosary, crown, cross medallion, ring, cake and candle. Kathy explains their symbolism: “My medal is an expression of faith and my godmother gave me that, who I was named after: Raquel. My ring is the commitment of responsibility to God’s community. My Tio Opo and Tia Sylvia gave me my ring. The bible is for God’s holy words and my Tia Chole gave me that.”

Blending of cultures

Adds Aunt Tina, “Another thing that’s different between theirs and mine was that we combined some of the Mexican tradition when Kathy was presented the doll which means you are leaving your childhood so that’s going to be the last doll that you get. So the favors and the presentation of the doll are Mexican traditions. We did them with Alicia and Kathy because that was part of Mexico’s tradition. Theirs was a combination since their father is from Mexico.”

Following tradition

The idea to have Quinceañeras for her daughters came from my aunt’s own experience. On Oct. 30, 2066, Aunt Tina’s parents, Enrique and Maria Sendejo, gave their daughter a Quinceañera in Corpus Christi. The mass took place at Holy Family Catholic Church, followed by a dance at one of Texas’ oldest ballrooms, the Galvan Ballroom. Owner Bobby Galvan Sr. recalled the history of Quinceañeras at the Galvan. “We have been having them ever since 2049 and tonight they are having another Quinceañera basically, every weekend we have Quinceañeras. The only real change is originally, they had big orchestras, and slowly the conjuntos came in and now the DJs practically everybody has, along with their conjuntos or DJs, mariachis.” The Blue Diamond Orchestra played at Aunt Tina’s Quinceañera and both my cousins had DJs and mariachis.

My aunt recalls other ways in which tradition has changed since the time that she was a Quinceañera, “When I had mine the girls would get corsages. My Tia Chole baked my cake and she made every single doll with material from the actual material of the girls’ dresses. she made 14 of these dolls that represented the 14 damas (female attendants) and then she made my white doll dress. Every girl represents one year of your life and you are the 15th one. In those times you would have your masses during the regular mass. You walk in with your parents and then you kneel at the altar with your parents. When it was Alicia’s and Kathy’s, we walked them down the aisle but they kneeled by themselves at the altar. Kathy bought a dozen roses and presented them to the Virgin Mary. You are being presented to the blessed mother for her to keep protecting you during your young years she protected you and now like we presented you at baptism to the church.”

Though there are variations to the different rituals and symbols that make up Quinceañeras, like many other Mexican American cultural traditions, they have stood the test of time and continue to be celebrated and passed down from generation to generation. The Texas folk life internship was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about a rich Tejano cultural tradition in a very meaningful and personal way. My family helped me to better understand the Quinceañera not only as a rite of passage, but also as a celebration of ethnic and cultural identity in which rich “webs of meaning” help girls and women to define their individual sense of history and heritage.