La Fiesta Quinceañera
38 minutes
Country: USA/Latin America
Language: Alternates English and Spanish (English subtitles)
Overview:
This two-part video depicts a young Mexican-American woman's fifteenth birthday
celebration. Set in Dallas, Texas and Reynosa, Mexico, the first part consists of a
discussion of the preparations, planning, and logistics that have to be considered in
planning this important social event. The second part observes the actual ceremony
through various stages after the preparations are completed for the mass, the party, and
the dance that traditionally follow.
Previewing Activities
 Talk about the similarities and differences between a quinceañera and a sweet
sixteen party.
 Has anyone ever been to a quinceañera? If so, what is your opinion about the
party?
Post-Viewing Activities
 What is a quinceañera?
 What does the priest say?
 What is important about a quinceañera?
 What does pink signify?
Class Projects
 Write an essay on the different ways quinceañeras are celebrated around
Latin America.
 Compare a quinceañera party to a sweet sixteen party.
How to Borrow this Video:
The videos owned by the UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean
Studies are housed in the Outreach Office of the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. They are lent free of charge. For information on films and reservations, please visit
http://isa.unc.edu/film/films_main.asp.
Suggested Readings
 http://www.quinceanera-boutique.com/quinceaneratradition.htm
 http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/dpalfrey/dpquince.html
 http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/voic28-3-4/onair.html