2022 Quinceanera Reflections from a Salvadorian
Blog post written by Fernanda Aguilar, San Salvador, El Salvador
A quinceanera: SO MUCH MORE than a party!
The first time I heard about the thrilling quinceanera being celebrated for teen girls living in orphanages in my country was over a year ago when I started volunteering for Sus Hijos. Everyone talked about it. I thought about how exciting it would be to have so many girls celebrating their birthdays on such a special occasion. Back then I didn't know their names or how much of a blessing it would be to see them smile and spin in their dresses. I didn't know the immense joy that we would feel when seeing them pick their favorite dress, shoes or earrings.
However, I did know the cultural importance of a quinceanera in El Salvador, as I have grown up with them. I remember being a14-year-old and hearing how everyone was preparing for their quinceanera all over my school. No one really doubted that they were going to have a big party, it was more about how it was going to be. There was a lot of talk about dresses, makeup and shoes as my friends’ and my 15th birthdays approached. Some families give their daughters the option to travel outside the country instead of a party. Most girls choose a party, being surrounded by people that you love on your big day is what makes a quinceanera so special.
In the Latin culture, a quinceanera is considered the transition from a girl to a woman. I know how silly it might sound to other people, as a 15-year-old is far from being an adult. But it is the farewell of childhood memories and a time that will never return. It is also a celebration of what life has in store for a young girl making her way into the world. This event is extremely important for Latin girls. The dream of a quinceanera was an impossibility for girls growing up in orphanages in my country until His Hands His Feet began throwing these parties in partnership with Sus Hijos.
Because of my personal experiences of quinceaneras, I was very excited to see how this particular quinceañera would take place this summer. It was going to be such a huge gala for girls who don't often get to be celebrated. I knew that the His Hands His Feet team had been planning this for a while as Covid hadn't allowed the party to take place for three years.
The dress fittings started Sunday afternoon at the first orphanage. We put chairs around the room so the girls could sit down while we talked and set the dresses on tables behind them. As the girls entered the room you could clearly see their eyes light up as they looked upon many sparkly, beautiful dresses. The anticipation filled the room. We repeated this at ten more orphanages over the next three days. Before picking their dresses and shoes, His Hands His Feet Director Jenni Ramsey and other team members talked to the girls. They explained all of the thrilling details of the quinceanera. I have to say that this was one of my favorite parts. The girls were reminded of how special they are. They were told much God loves them and how we all love them. They were reminded of how beautiful they are inside and out and how everything about this week was for them because they are worth it!
These girls don't often get to have a lot choices, so the team and volunteers always made sure to tell them that they could look at all the options and then decide what was the best thing for them. A few girls would get overwhelmed and wouldn't know where to start. Some of them mentioned how they didn't know their dress size as they had never worn a dress like that before. This was all part of the amazing process of making each girl experience God's never ending love.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” - I Peter 4:10
Every time a girl found their perfect dress, the team of exuberant Gringos and Salvadorians would clap and cheer and tell them how gorgeous they were. Once dresses were chosen, the girls got to have their eyebrows waxed and nails painted. We were covered in glitter, with aching feet but happy hearts at the end of each day. Seeing so many people united, working and serving together for these girls was one of the best things that I have ever experienced. God continues to overwhelm all of us with his love. Having an event with this many people can be hard, but he worked powerfully through so many people to make it happen.
Thursday finally arrived and we started getting ready for the special event. The girls began arriving at the hotel around 1 pm, with the party beginning at 6 pm. Each volunteer was placed in charge of stations such as makeup, jewelry, hair, dresses, jewelry. They welcomed the girls with open arms. One of the first girls to arrive told me that she was so nervous that she didn't even want to drink water. We will never be able to imagine the emotions that they were experiencing. I assured her everything would be amazing. And it truly was.
Seeing each girl dressed up, with smiles from ear to ear, their hair and makeup done, and jewels dangling from their ears is something that I’m sure none of us will ever forget. The awe-struck girls danced until they couldn’t dance anymore, they sang until they couldn’t sing anymore. They were reminded of the love of their Heavenly Father, who is the father to the fatherless. He knows every hair on their heads and his plans for are for them to prosper, to have a hope and a future.
As a Salvadorian teenager, I can affirm that a quinceanera is so much more than just a party. And for these girls, it may have been the first time in their lives where they felt this special, the first night where they were being celebrated. There were so many unique things that were planned for them that night, from a “step and repeat” background for photos, a photo booth, which printed photos for the girls to take as keep sakes, to hand packed gifts, which were give to each girl as they left the gala. It was a night to remind them that they are not alone. They were celebrated by Gringos and Salvadorians, but most importantly, by the God who knows their names.
