Many local young women celebrate a quinceañera to mark her transition from childhood to womanhood.
This party is typically held on the girl’s fifteenth birthday and is celebrated with a special mass, a family dinner, and a large dance party.
“At my quinceañera, I wore a pink ball gown with sparkles and a tiara. My beautiful party was celebrated at White Oak Worship Center. I danced with my two chambalans, who are people very close to me, either a brother, cousin or relative. He can also be a best friend from childhood, school, or a neighbor. Then I danced with my grandpa. We ate carne asada and al pastor tacos and chile en Nogada along with an assortment of desserts,” Genesis Banegas, sophomore, said.
“Chambelans dance with the birthday girl and stay with her throughout the night. Oftentimes they give the girl a rose and sometimes they are the ones who does the traditional shoe change, which acts as a symbol of growing up. They take the current shoes, usually sneakers, and switch them out for heels. This represents the change from childhood to adulthood,” Banegas said.
A CHS student served as a chambelan for another local girl.
“When I was a chambelan, I had to dress up very nice in a light blue tux with a tie. The girl who was having the party was wearing the most beautiful fluffy purple dress I have ever seen and a taira. There was a lot of good food like beans with red sauce, red meat [lamb,pork,beef,etc], tamales and a lot of desserts like chocoflan and churros. We listened to Hispanic country music artists like Peso Pluma, Lor Cardenaler, and others. I had to practice a lot before the dance to make sure I did everything right. I had a great time though,” Jaime Semental, junior, said.
