What do you call a Mexican sweet 16 birthday?

Answer 1

In the Mexican Culture, we actually celebrate the 15th Birthday, which is called a Quincenaera (which is basically a sweet sixteen celebration in the America culture). The Quincenaera is basically a 15th birthday celebration where the parents and family members of the (Birthday girl) acknowledge that she is becoming a woman and will be eligible to marry.....but of course not until she's older. This is just a celebration of her transitioning from childhood to womanhood. The most important component of the celebration is invariably a Misa de accion ( a Thanksgiving Mass). The mass is were she is specially seated at the foot of the altar throughout the service. The Quinceanera traditionally has the option for further celebrating...and if your Mexican your sure to celebrate more! Usually the parent's or padrinos (godparent's) will either rent out a ballroom or select another area for the celebration. The degree of opulence of the event is directly related to the economic means of the girls parent's and the padrinos (god parent's).