A sweet sixteen is a traditional birthday party for girls to have when they turn sixteen years old. In parts of the United States and Canada, sixteen is the age at which one may obtain a driver's license. It is also the age of consent in many states, hence it is viewed by many adolescents as an important milestone. It is the American counterpart of the Spanish and Latin American tradition of a Quinceañera, with both parties having the same sense but in Spanish-speaking countries it is at the 15th birthday.

Relationship to the Jewish tradition

In traditional Judaism, girls reach the age of spiritual maturity at the age of 12 (with their bat mitzvah), compared to boys who reach the age of spiritual maturity at 13 (with their bar mitzvah). In the earlier part of the 20th century, sweet sixteen parties were a de facto coming-of-age ceremony for young Jewish women, since while bar mitzvahs were publicly celebrated, bat mitzvahs were not. Today, Reform Judaism continues to recognize the importance of the sixteenth birthday for boys and girls with a confirmation ceremony.

Other popularizations

The 1984 film Sixteen Candles features a coming of age story as the lead character, Samantha Baker, turns sixteen. Before that, a song "16 Candles" was recorded by the Crests and several other artists, including Roy Orbison. A song by Hilary Duff called "Sweet Sixteen" celebrates the freedom of being a sixteen-year old girl. This was used as the theme tune for MTV reality show 'My Super Sweet 16'. There is another song by Billy Idol with the same name (which actually references a lost love of Edward Leedskalnin of that age), as well as a song by Neil Sedaka called "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" and a song by Chuck Berry titled "Sweet Little Sixteen". Fall Out Boy recorded a song titled "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More 'Touch Me'" that is thought to be a possible reference to the age of consent.

See also

• Quinceañera
• Confirmation
• Bat Mitzvah
• 16 Age
• My Super Sweet 16
• Teenager

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