Alvarez fetes traditional celebration

Author: Rachael Jennings

Julia Alvarez, Middlebury College's acclaimed writer-in-residence, ended her slideshow presentation on Tuesday, March 11, with a powerful image - a black-and-white photograph of an elderly woman, frail and wrinkled, framed by crumbling stucco wall. The woman is dressed humbly, but holds her head high, her long neck stretching in a manifestation of dignity. In her hand is an old photograph of herself, young and beautiful, on the occasion of her Quinceañera.

The transitional ceremony in Latina culture is the subject of Alvarez's most recent book ­- "Once Upon a Quinceañera: Coming of Age in the U.S.A" -which she presented to 80 eager listeners in Munroe Lecture Hall. The work of nonfiction earned finalist status in the 2007 National Book Critics Award contest. Alvarez is known for such acclaimed earlier works as "In the Time of the Butterflies" and "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents."

The Quinceañera celebrates the "magical age" of 15 for girls. At 15, girls can wear makeup, strap on heels, tweeze their eyebrows and shave their legs. The ceremony is one marked by glamour and extravagance. Girls in puffy pink dresses trail the end of a procession marching into an elaborate ballroom. A procession of a young boy and girl carrying high heels and a tiara, 14 couples in formal attire, a mother and a father precede the Quinceañera honoree.

In a ballroom swimming with music and decorated with lavish cakes, the beautified girl sits on either a throne or a swing, where her Papi removes her flats and replaces them with sophisticated heels. The mother crowns her daughter and, finally, the Quinceañera waltzes with her father to a room full of applause. She also receives her last doll, which symbolizes, according to Alvarez, the end of childhood and the girls symbolic readiness to bear her own child.

Alvarez commented on the emotional nature of the ceremony, particularly for the girl's parents.

"It is impossible not to cry," said Alvarez. "That girl is her mother's high school diploma, her college degree. She is what they are proud of."

The history of the Quinceañera is a fascinating one. In her book, Alvarez explores how the ceremony of Quinceañera began as an immigrant dream of parents giving their children more than what they themselves had.

This phenomenon occurs nationwide. In San Antonio, Mexican Quinceañeras dance through banquet halls. In Queens, N.Y., Puerto Ricans applaud young women. Dominicans in New Orleans cry with pride for their daughter, sisters and friends. Alvarez explained that the story of the Quinceañera, then, is really the greater story of how we became Latinas in America.

Over time, the Quinceañera became Americanized to the point that Disney themes, cruise packages and even children's characters like Dora the Explorer now celebrate this rite of passage.

In fact, the Quinceañera is so integral to a Latino family's identity that some who cannot afford actual Quinceañeras (the celebrations can cost over 5,000 dollars) have gone so far as to have their daughters pose for photos in rented gowns, going to a party that will never be.

Yet despite such enthusiasm for this treasured tradition, Alvarez cautioned the dangers of its importance with a photo in her slideshow. The image was of a young girl in a sparkling white Quinceañera dress, holding a baby.

"It is a problem," said Alvarez, "when these traditions sexualize young girls - market them - and prepare them to be mothers at the age of 15."

Alvarez went on to mention one program coordinator from Denver, Co., who did seven Quinceañeras in one year, and the next year was invited to five of their baby showers.

There certainly are difficulties facing a striking percentage of Latino youths. One out of every four Latina girls and one out of every six Latino boys drop out of high school, according to Alvarez. Over 50 percent of Latinas are pregnant before age 18. One out of ever six Latina girls attempts suicide.

"We have this fantasy that they will become queens of their lives," said Alvarez, "What is happening? What can we give our young women to carry them to the other bookend of their lives?"

To illustrate this phenomenon, Alvarez quoted a young girl from Idaho, who said, "I was a 'typical' Latina. You know, we don't do 'white girl' things like go to college."

In her book, Alvarez questions the cycles of the Quinceañera tradition. She seeks ways to revisit deep traditions, treasure powerful female moments and carry young girls into a positive adult role so that they can grow to become the proud old woman in that black and white photograph.

Alvarez ended her presentation with a call to action.

"It is up to us," she said. "In the words of the Hopi, 'We are the ones we have been waiting for.'"