That Special Day
That Special Day
In “Quinceanera”, Judith Ortiz Cofer tells us about the roles and expectations of a fifteen year old girl in the Latin culture. The tradition symbolizes the young girl’s coming of age: her 15th birthday. Cofer gracefully, yet woefully depicts the girl’s experience on that special day.
According to Qinceanera-Boutique.com, under Quinceanera Traditions, a “Quinceanera is a popular Latin custom that celebrates a girl’s fifteenth birthday. She invites her closest friends to the party, along with her brothers, sisters, grandparents, and any other close friends or family that she would like to spend the special occasion with her. There is a religious ceremony at their home or in a banquet hall in which the girl is presented with a Bible (or a prayer book) and a rosary. Another well-known custom for the celebration is the Changing of the Shoes, where the father removes her flat shoes and slips on her new high heels. She is presented with a tiara, which symbolizes her as a princess before God, while also meaning triumph over childhood and the ability to face the challenges ahead. Other popular ceremony gifts include a scepter, which symbolizes authority and responsibility in her new life, and a cross or a medal signifying faith in God, herself, and in her word.”
The expected role that this young fifteen year old now plays is that of a grown woman. Primarily with having reached the ability to reproduce, she now also has the likely goals of
Maslanik, Alexa 2 becoming a wife and a mother. Cofer refers to this when she talks about the girl’s blood being considered “shameful” (16), she means that the young lady has started her monthly menstrual cycle and is now of age to reproduce, but unlike a soldier or Jesus Christ, whose blood was considered sanctified (16-18), her blood is “shameful” (16). She is also now allowed to attend adult social events, wear high heels, and is expected to do most things on her own, like “wash her own clothes and bed
In “Quinceanera”, Judith Ortiz Cofer tells us about the roles and expectations of a fifteen year old girl in the Latin culture. The tradition symbolizes the young girl’s coming of age: her 15th birthday. Cofer gracefully, yet woefully depicts the girl’s experience on that special day.
According to Qinceanera-Boutique.com, under Quinceanera Traditions, a “Quinceanera is a popular Latin custom that celebrates a girl’s fifteenth birthday. She invites her closest friends to the party, along with her brothers, sisters, grandparents, and any other close friends or family that she would like to spend the special occasion with her. There is a religious ceremony at their home or in a banquet hall in which the girl is presented with a Bible (or a prayer book) and a rosary. Another well-known custom for the celebration is the Changing of the Shoes, where the father removes her flat shoes and slips on her new high heels. She is presented with a tiara, which symbolizes her as a princess before God, while also meaning triumph over childhood and the ability to face the challenges ahead. Other popular ceremony gifts include a scepter, which symbolizes authority and responsibility in her new life, and a cross or a medal signifying faith in God, herself, and in her word.”
The expected role that this young fifteen year old now plays is that of a grown woman. Primarily with having reached the ability to reproduce, she now also has the likely goals of
Maslanik, Alexa 2 becoming a wife and a mother. Cofer refers to this when she talks about the girl’s blood being considered “shameful” (16), she means that the young lady has started her monthly menstrual cycle and is now of age to reproduce, but unlike a soldier or Jesus Christ, whose blood was considered sanctified (16-18), her blood is “shameful” (16). She is also now allowed to attend adult social events, wear high heels, and is expected to do most things on her own, like “wash her own clothes and bed