Quinceañera

Our good friend Octavio invited us to his relative's quinceañera, or the celebration of a girl's "coming of age." This is a topic that I have not yet had the chance to cover. If one was to take a walk through the city center, they would encounter a block where there is store after store of brightly colored formal dresses. Each time Josh and I have gone running at our favorite park we see a different quinceañera girl in a brilliant dress getting photographed. The quinceañera industry in México is nearly as big as the wedding industry, and expenses include the dress, the hair and nails, photography, the music, the food... there is even a role for the muchachos as the girl of honor picks five to be her escorts throughout the event. On this particular evening, the girl of honor was Lupita, and we began by attending a church service, which featured her kneeling at the front of the church throughout the mass. All photos below were taken by Josh.

Lupita's little sister, dressed in the same color as her older sister.

Octavio and his niece, Estafaña

While we were waiting for the party to begin, a number of niños and I discussed the idiosyncrasies of language... ie; they asked me how I said a word in English, and I told them, over and over and over. Vaca=cow. Juan=John. Servieta=napkin.

Lupita making her grand entrance with her five escorts.

The escorts and part of the big green cake.

After Lupita's entrance, they put on not one, not two, but three choreographed dances.

And then they broke out the balloons.

Octavio's niece's Estafaña and Sofía enjoying the show. Well, actually, I think Estafaña was starting to get a little worn out.

Lupita's father presented her with a doll that was wearing a similar dress.

Then Lupita and her friends changed into something more comfortable and did another dance routine.

This was an event that Octavio thought we should see while living in México, and we were quite fortunate for that. It reminded me how awkward and complex it was to be a teen as I scanned the dance floor throughout the night and watched the party.