Are Quinceañeras a Relic of the Past for US Born Latinos?

One of the most prominent traditions of Latinx culture is the infamous Quinceañera. 

You know, the party that our moms plan for months, invite all of our tios and cousins, and spend their entire life’s savings in one night. No, not their wedding night…it’s their daughter turning 15, the equivalent of a ‘Sweet Sixteen’ in American culture.

As much as the tradition will last in our countries of origin, some U.S.born teens are rebelling against the event because they just don’t identify with it…and we’re here to say that’s totally okay!

On the other hand, many have had to adjust as they navigate the coronavirus pandemic. It’s hard to be reminded that COVID took away every prom, graduation and special event teens were used to attending pre-2020. 

Nadia Rivera, a 14-year-old student whose parents are from Guatemala and Nicaragua has been wrestling with her cultural identity and the fact that she will not be having the pink dress, tiara, and silk gloves as symbols of her entrance into womanhood.

But Nadia knows her validation does not come from having a quinceañera as much as she dreamed about it since she was five. Nadia is planning on doing something in the music/entertainment industry while using her platforms to educate others about the important topics of today’s world – in other words, she’s going places! 

“I’ve always had a problem with my identity because I would get teased or picked on because I didn’t like spicy foods. So I wasn’t a ‘real Latino,’ … at the same time, I would still experience racism and people calling me racial slurs,” she said. “I still am figuring out how to embrace my culture or if I even need to prove anything at all,” she told CPR News. 

Instead, she will be focusing on learning to speak Spanish fluently and making sure she’s bringing those good grades home. You go, girl!

See, I never had a quinceañera because my family and I moved to the States when I was 14, so I barely had any friends here to have a big party. 

Bummer, you’d think – but not really. 

I understood that we were living in different times; we migrated to a new country and it was a new era for our family. My party was more like a small family gathering and still, to this day, my mom asks if I would’ve wanted the big party. I guess I was one of those teens that just did not identify with it. Thank you though, ma!