Beyond the lavishness of a Quinceanera party and having a Quince limousine to fetch you and your friends, what is the significance of a Quinceanera for a fifteen-year-old Señorita?
The Quinceañera
The custom is a celebration of the young girl
(la Quinceanera), and a recognition of her journey from childhood to maturity. The celebration highlights God, family, friends, music, food, and dance.
In the Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American traditions, the custom can be referred to as a
Quince (XV) Años, a
Quinces, or a
Quinceanera. The celebration traditionally begins with a religious ceremony. A reception is held in the home or a banquet hall. The festivities include food and music, and in most, a choreographed waltz or dance performed by the Quinceanera and her court.
The Quinceanera's court can be comprised of young girls (called a
Dama), young men (called
Chambelán or Escorte or Galán) or a combination of both - traditionally up to 14 persons in the court, which with the Quinceanera, would total 15 young people.
The Quinceanera traditionally wears a ball gown, with her court usually dressed in gowns and tuxedos. Guests usually receive small tokens, cápias and cerámicas, to commemorate the celebration.
There are many traditions throughout the celebration. At the church ceremony, an XV pillow specially decorated with the Quinceanera's name, is placed in position for the young girl to kneel on during the ceremony. Smaller decorated pillows are also used for the presentation of the Quinceanera's gifts. At the reception, there is always the toast to the Quinceanera, known as the brindis. With specially decorated champagne glasses for the Quinceanera, the guests are invited to offer their congratulations and best wishes. The Quinceanera Doll, symbolizing the perfection of the event and the Quinceanera, is used as both a decoration and a keepsake. In some customs, the
cápias (printed ribbons with the Quinceanera's name and date) are pinned to the doll, and the Quinceanera circulates among her guests, thanking them for their presence and presenting them with a memento taken from the doll.
The Quince Años is a glorious celebration that remains a cherished and honored tradition.
Quinceanera History
The roots of the Quinceanera, although obscure, date from the era of the Aztecs and Mayans.
During the Aztec period, women were treated as second-class citizens, only available for bearing children and obeying their husband.
To prepare for their roles as mothers and wives, young females were separated from other children around the age of 15, and the elder women of the tribe taught the girls the skills they would need to be proper members of the family and community.
During the official rites of passage into womanhood, the parents and the community would thank the gods for their future wives and mothers.
The celebration served as an acknowledgement that a young woman had reached sexual maturity and was now an adult, ready to assume additional family and social responsibilities including marriage.
Most girls married at age 16, and those who did not were expected to remain at home and care for their parents and older relatives.
The Spanish conquered the Aztecs in the early 16th Century, and the religious traditions of the Catholics mingled with those of the Aztecs.
For girls, the age of 15 became a time of decision - devote their lives to the church or marry. The event became a personal affirmation of faith and a pledge to become good Christian wives and mothers.
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Use a limousine service in Manhattan for that unique Manhattanite adventure. Your chauffeur will take you places bus tours can't. Another option is to go on foot but there are too many places to go that you won't be able to experience all the rich ambience and culture if you walked around town. Chances are you'll get lost if you don't have someone to drive you around and serve as guide to the best that Manhattan can offer.
Manhattan is one of New York's five boroughs and is what people most often think of when they picture New York. Manhattan is actually an elongated island and includes most of the best known and most popularly visited neighborhoods, including the Financial District downtown.
Manhattan is divided by three districts: Downtown Manhattan, Midtown Manhattan, and Uptown or Upper Manhattan. Downtown Manhattan has many world renowned places such as TriBeCa, the "Triangle Below Canal Street", which is home to trendy restaurants and Robert DeNiro's annual film festival, and popular with the affluent trendy crowd; SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street", which flows north from Spring Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway and has largely evolved from 1980s urban artist colony to a fashionable, high-end shopping and entertainment district; and Greenwich Village with its coffee houses, wine bars, low-rise but high art and literary connections. The bohemian center of yore, today's Village is strongly up market (especially west of 7th Avenue) but retains its diverse flavor, with its historic community around Christopher Street and thousands of students who attend NYU. Downtown Manhattan is also home to the Financial District of New York, the financial bastion of America that is Wall Street, the World Trade Center site, and the Seaport and Battery Park. It is also a departure point for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Downtown Manhattan is the most diverse district in Manhattan with places like East Village and Chinatown sheltering people and families of all nationalities and culture. Pockets of Ukrainians, Japanese, Indians and young professionals make it one of the most vibrant Manhattan areas. Chinatown retains its scruffy, exotic atmosphere, especially around Mott and Canal Streets. The diminishing Little Italy still exists on Mulberry Street (and comes out in full force for Italian festivals such as the Feast of San Gennaro in September), but the surrounding blocks are morphing into fashionable Nolita (NOrth of LIttle ITaly) or have been annexed by Chinatown.
Midtown Manhattan has also popular places in its midst such as Broadway, Times Square, 42nd Street, Hell's Kitchen, and New York icons such as the Empire State Building, the United Nations, and Grand Central Station.
It is Uptown or Upper Manhattan, however, that serves as home to the rich and famous. Here one can find Central Park with its lawns, trees and lakes is popular for recreation and concerts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Central Park Zoo. The Upper East Side, primarily a residential neighborhood, it remains New York City's most desired address. Museums and restaurants also abound.
Manhattan being an island, it can be accessed by limousine service, taxi, bus or by foot by means of either a bridge or a tunnel. Probably the most famous of these is the Brooklyn Bridge. If you're coming from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) by a limousine service in Manhattan, consider asking the driver to take the Queensboro or Williamsburg Bridges into Manhattan if you're going to Midtown or Downtown, respectively, and save yourself the bridge toll.
The best ways to get around Manhattan are on foot, by limousine service, by cab, or by taking the subway or bus. Driving is strongly discouraged; most New Yorkers do not own cars and the infrastructure of the city are designed for people, rather than for automobiles.
When traveling by limousine, it is best to ensure that you are using a licensed limousine service; the easiest way is to ask at the concierge at your hotel or contact one of hundreds of limousine services in Manhattan.
Maps of the New York subway system and Manhattan buses, schedules of subway and bus lines, and information about temporary service changes due to construction can be found at http://www.mta.info. Bus schedules and route maps are also usually posted on poles at bus stops.
Source: Wikitravel.org - Manhattan, New York
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Why use a limousine service in New York?
A limousine service can easily be substituted for a car service. The comfort and safety of having a chauffeur-driven limousine service is more valuable when traveling in and around New York. There are practically hundreds of limousine services in New York.
Look up other areas covered by New York NY Limo limousine services:
Limousine Service (Bronx) – Limousine Service (Brooklyn) – Limousine Service (Long Island) - Limousine Service (Manhattan) – Limousine Service (Queens) – Limousine Service (Staten Island) – Limousine Service (New York)
