MiaButler

For two Marian girls, the long-awaited cultural celebration of their lifetimes finally came. Sophomore Isabella Valencia Valbuena and senior Crystal Gonzalez celebrated their Quinceañeras this year and last year. 

A quinceañera is a Latina celebration for a girl’s fifteenth birthday. This celebration is extremely special, memorable and significant as it symbolizes the transition to womanhood. “My quinceañera was important to me because it meant I finally became a woman and got the chance to experience life being a woman,” Valencia Valbuena said. “It means so much to me and was something I dreamt of since I was a little girl.” For Gonzalez, her quince was important to her for the same reason, and because “It also shows my connection to my culture,” she said.

This celebration requires much intention and planning, as there are many components of the day. Valencia Valbuena was “ahead of everything” since she began planning in Nov. 2022. “We started off with finding the dress, place, food, dates, times etc..” but even still, “We were preparing even 24 hours before the big day,” she recalls. 

Even the day of the quinceañera requires a time commitment, which, for Gonzalez, started “around 6 in the morning,” as she woke early “to get her hair and makeup done,” she said.

After the months of planning, purchasing, inviting, and preparing, the big day finally rolled around for the two girls. The celebration is packed with events; this portion was unique to both of the girls. Gonzalez’s routine was: “Mass, getting Bible and rosary, greet guests, do the (waltz) dance, put on the ‘first’ high heel shoes, receive the surprise gift, get the last doll, do the surprise dance, cut the cake and then everyone dances,” she said. 

As for Valencia Valbuena, her day consisted of “the intro, the presentation, which is the cambio de zapato (change of the shoe), the entrega de regalo (delivery gift) given from mom and la entrega de la ultima muneca (the giving of the last doll). For her dances, she incorporated her three cultures by doing “American, Colombian and Mexican dances.”

 She also celebrated her day by dancing the waltz with her family and friends and having hora loca (crazy hour), where everyone had fun dancing. 

The last doll is a tradition at the quinceañera where girls are given their final doll, another representation of ending girlhood and moving into womanhood. Gonzalez received the traditional last doll of a stuffed bear, while Valencia Valbuena used her “American Girl Doll that I have had since I was 6,” she said because, “it was basically my first and last doll.”

Gonzalez also added her own touch to her day by dancing with her mom. Traditionally, girls do a dance with their father, but Gonzalez decided to dance with both parents.  

Another valuable aspect of the celebration is the attire. The traditional wearing of beautiful dresses is what both girls stuck to for their outfits. Valencia Valbuena also added “a purple tiara, with shimmery silver high heels,” to complete her look. 

Just as quinceañeras are important to the girls being celebrated, they are also important to friends and family. As the quince showed Gonzalez’s “connection to her culture,” inviting her family was necessary, “since we do not have direct connection with our heritage in Omaha.” 

Valencia Valbuena’s family found importance in her quince because she is “the first daughter and [she] was the first one in [her] family to have this beautiful experience,” she said. She invited her “closest friends, family and the Latino community [she] grew up with,” she said. “They’re all my family at heart at the end of the day.”

A quinceañera truly can be a beautiful celebration of culture and age. Both Gonzalez and Valencia Valbuena value their celebrations and their cultures, as the experience represents a deeper connection to them. 

“I had dreamt of this for so long, and, now, to see it happen was amazing,” Valencia Valbuena said.