Quinceaneras are a common Mexican (and other latin American cultures) celebration for when a girl turns 15. A quinceanera symbolizes that the girl is now entering women hood and leaving her childhood behind. The girls wear big ball gowns and have chambelanes/damas (court of honor) which are mainly boys but they can also be girls or have both in their court. In the photo there is a bear which is considered as the girls last toy she will receive. It is more traditional that the girls receive a doll with the same dress as her but as time goes by there has been less dolls and more stuffed bears. The girls also wear a crown, are given a ring, bracelet, bible, pillow, guestbook, and a flower bouquet the same color as their dress. 

My items for this are the gifts I received when I had my quinceañera. The purple items are the gifts I got when I had my quince and the blue items are the gifts my little sister recently got this past October. Growing up I had always said that I didn't want a quinceañera because I didn't want all the attention to be on me. Once I had turned 13 is when I told my parents that I did want to have one and they were super excited to get started on planning out my big party. They sat me down and explained to me the importance of having a quinceañera is not the big party, it's getting together as a family to celebrate going into women-hood and and thanking god for being healthy and alive during the mass. My quinceañera is a day I will never forget and I hope to one day get to experience what my parents did during my special day.

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