With a dress costing on average $300, a ballroom for $5000 and a cake costing an average of $700, quinces have become increasingly  extravagant. Many cultures have this celebration to acknowledge the time in a teen’s life in which they transform from a girl to a woman.

“Well it’s a big deal because it’s a traditional event, it’s something that celebrates how they are transforming into a young women, and it is also a proud moment for the parents,” junior Celina Reyes. “Usually the parents plan everything, depending on how strict they are, but they also need to have the approval of the quinceanera.”

Quinces have particularly become largely recognized in the AHS community. A quince, a Latin  American tradition, is the 15th birthday celebration for girls in which they transform from a young girl to a woman in the eyes of the community. Depending on the country, some quinces have more religious significance than others.

“My family followed the actual tradition,” junior Mirian Romero said. “We celebrated a Catholic mass, which is usually when your parents are offering you up to God and whatever is planned in your life is because God wants it that way.”

On the other hand, some people simply have a big party, similar to that of a sweet-sixteen, and celebrate it in a more modern way.

“ Mine wasn’t religious based, it was more of a big party because I had already turned fifteen,” sophomore Geraldine Hoyos. “We just had a party.”

Over time, these events can become quite elaborate, taking on the magnitude of weddings. There is a ceremony, commonly a catholic mass, and a reception afterwards, with an array of songs, dances and meals. Two main dances are performed during the quinces, one which the quinceanera or the girl dances with her father ,and then another in which the girl performs a dance with the court of honor. The court of honor consists of friends or close family of the quinceanera.

Most commonly, the girl wears wedding-like attire and a tiara, which are both given by the parents or family members of the girl. Traditionally, the quinceanera is given a rosary, a bible and the last doll. The last doll has a significant role, in which the parents give the quinceanera the last doll the girl would ever get. Since the girl is changing into a woman, she is getting over the stage of playing with dolls, so the parents, as a final homage to her childhood, give the youthful gift of a final doll.

Another very important traditional ceremony is when the girl is given heels to show how she has changed from a girl to a women. The quinceanera and her father have the first dance together, then the mother and the quinceanera sits on a throne-like chair. From there, the father of the quinceanera changes her shoes, which are usually flats to heels. After the changing of shoes happens, the father and daughter continue their dance together.

The quince is a ceremonial step in a girl’s life where she transforms from a girl to a women in the eyes of the community, holding herself with a newfound sense of modesty and beauty.

“My parents just say I am a young lady who is now accountable for her actions and knows what’s right from wrong,” Romero said.