Quinceanera celebration held in Warwick

Warwick - Even in a diverse society, individual cultural traditions are often worth preserving. On Saturday, July 22, Warwick High School student Esmeralda Espinosa, 15, celebrated her Quincea-era at the American Legion Hall on Forester Avenue. According to Judy Battista, a friend of the Espinosa family and host of WTBQ’s “Latin Jubilee” radio show, the Quincea-era - or Quince Anos meaning 15 years - is a Spanish tradition similar to “sweet sixteen” parties or debutante balls. The Quincea-era, celebrated throughout most regions of Latin America and by many Mexican-American families, symbolizes a young lady’s coming of age. Like many other cumpleaneras or birthday girls, Esmeralda and her family approached her Quincea-era with a mixture of joy and sadness. The celebration, after all, marks the transition from childhood to womanhood and acknowledges that a young woman has reached maturity. Some of the most touching moments during the ceremony were when Esmeralda gave away her last toy and when her Godfather, Richard Hartment, helped exchange her slippers for women’s shoes, symbolizing her transition into young adulthood or maturity. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” observed Battista. In the Mexican tradition, the festivities begin with a Thanksgiving Mass called the Misa de Acción de Gracias. The young lady arrives in a white gown, symbolizing purity. She is usually accompanied by her parents, godparents, maids of honor and so forth in a fashion resembling a formal wedding. The Mass is then followed by a party where the Quincea-era is treated like a princess. She and others dance a waltz and then perform traditional ceremonies including a coronation complete with the handing over of a scepter. Esmeralda’s celebration began with the traditional Mass, said in Spanish, at the Church of St. John, the Evangelist in Goshen. Later that day, the family and friends gathered at the American Legion Hall where they enjoyed a fiesta and performed all the traditional ceremonies, including a champagne toast and the handing over of the scepter by Esmeralda’s mother, Octavina Espinosa. “I had a lot of fun teaching them the dances,” said Battista who also teaches dancing for her company, Jubilee Presents. “I taught them how to do the Waltz, and various other traditional dances. The Quincea-era highlights God, family, friends, music, food and dance. “This is a wonderful celebration,” she added.