while looking for books about hannukah, i came across this gem. it's been sitting on my shelf for about a month now (i renewed it, so it's not overdue) but finally got around to reading it and actually learned a lot about quinceañeras.
sadly and regrettably i did not have a quince. however, i was in my friend sofia samano's court, so i have experienced a quince first hand. i went to mass and of course danced the waltz, but i never got to be the belle of the ball. or should i say la reina de la fiesta. oh well. maybe in another life or my thirty birthday. cos seriously i need a cake like this in my life:
so thanks to the book i learned some new things about quinceañeras and was also reminded of some great traditions. first, i learned that i would have never survived life as an aztec. this is assuming that i still have my atheist/agnostic tendencies and independent spirit in precolonial mexico. but as the book explained, "in mexico's native american aztec civilizations, girls of twelve or thirteen attended two types of school, the Calmacac or the Telpucucali. those who entered the calmacac school prepare for a lifetime of religious service. girls who enrolled in the telpucucali school prepared for marriage." seriously god or marriage, the only options in life, isn't great to be a woman? if this was all i was offered in life, i would have had a serious disney princess moment about keeping with traditions.
anyway, to continue our history lesson, after the spanish conquered the aztecs in 1521, this tradition of aztec rites become catholic-ified because the spanish are catholic. fifteen became the age for young women to choose between marriage or god. looks like spanish colonial me would have hated life as well. and as the book explains "these rites received the name quinceañera from the spanish word for fifteen, quince, and birthday, anos." does this whole choose between god and marriage still exist? should i be a nun or a wife? though i guess in both ways you are a wife, of god or some machismo senor with a tendency to get drunk and cry to sad songs.
and maybe it's just the feminist in me or the old maid in me but this whole marriage talk at 15 kinda scares me. i mean you haven't even lived life yet and your folks are sending you to mass to learn about marriage? (btw i don't know if this is true so please clarify if i am wrong). i mean even the book referred to the fact that the girl having the quince looked like a young bride in her dress! ekkkk!
but there really is nothing to worry about because today's quinces are just an excuse to party. and who doesn't love a party? one of the traditions that the book mentioned and which i absolutely love was the presenting of heels. (that is not it's offical name but what i'm going to call it). so the dad of the girl presents her with her first pair of grown up shoes aka heels and she has her first dance as a "woman". awwwwww. how cute, right?
the book was actually a good book for kids to read about quinceañeras. also for adults that didn't have any latin american friends growing up. though they should make an updated version cos there were some crazy 80's dresses in in that i loved but might not be everyone's cup of tea.
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