When talking about quinceañera, the first thoughts are always about the party, the dress, and the fun of this date. But do you know the catholic aspects of this celebration? More than a party, this day is a confirmation before God. Learn more about the Mass and the tradition of this date and prepare the best celebration possible!
1. Meaning
We all know that a quinceañera is a ritual of passage where a girl is becoming a woman. But it also has a deeper meaning in her life. Though it is not a Catholic sacrament, this is a confirmation of a girl’s baptism. It is when she confirms her faith and beliefs. So, though people focus a lot on the party, for the girl it is also important to plan the Mass.
The Mass is the actual ritual of passage, where the girl takes the final step to confirmation after taking classes and preparing herself for this moment. It is when she gifts Virgin Mary and receives symbolic gifts back to her confirmation before God. In this moment, it is important to have her court of honor, her padrinos and her family and friends together.
After the Mass (not necessarily the same day) it is time to celebrate. So, the Mass is a great step in the girl’s life, and it is the reason for celebration, according to catholic aspects of the quinceañera.
2. Planning
Planning the Mass can be an integrated part of the party planning. After learning about how deep the meaning of this Mass is, many questions might pop up in a girl’s mind: who should be there? What are the symbolic items? What are the rituals and how to prepare for them? And how are the classes for the confirmation?
Step by step, you’ll see this preparation is not difficult and the process is rewarding. Keep in mind the first 3 important things to this date:
I. You’ll have to take preparatory classes for the confirmation;
II. You should then choose your court of honor;
III. You should choose your padrinos in advance to be there too;
IV. Usually, everyone who will participate in the Mass should be in the rehearsals. Prepare yourself and your family, court and padrinos for that.
Looking at this, it is clear that you need to prepare yourself in advance to rehearse with your court and padrinos not only the practices and dances of the quinceañera party, but also the rituals of the Mass. You’ll have to manage your time to take preparatory classes for the confirmation while preparing the party (besides having your regular classes and other duties).
These preparatory classes require not only baptism, but also the Communion. If you didn’t take any of those steps, you’ll need more time before finishing your classes for confirmation. Go to the church of your interest the sooner possible to learn more about:
- the steps remaining for you to take your classes and get ready for your confirmation (if you need the Communion, or only classes for confirmation and how long they’ll take);
- whether the church of your preference itself has the preparatory or where you can do it before your quinceañera. Make sure to ask about the fees or donations for those classes too;
- how to book the church for the Mass. This is a very important information, because you need to know if you need much time before for the reservation of this church, the requirements, and the costs for it. Another important thing to ask is whether the mass is private or in group in the church of your interest. Naturally, private is more expensive. Check the church’s policies for it and the policies about decoration (whether you can make yours or not).
After gathering this information and deciding the best church for your ceremony, schedule the preparatory classes. Then, you can go to the next step: choosing the symbolic items. During the Mass, you’ll need:
a) natural flowers to gift Virgin Mary;
b) Flowers for yourself (these can be artificial, if you please);
c) a Bible and a rosary (gifts from the family, but you can also borrow it);
d) a ring, a tiara or a necklace for the priest to bless (also a gift).
This step requires a lot of attention from the family, because they are the main responsible for those gifts. You can list them to your parents not to forget.
The next step is to start choosing and inviting your court of honor and your padrinos if you didn’t choose yet. They should be in your confirmation, specially your padrinos because they are your guides to keep you in your spiritual path.
Finally, you can prepare yourself for the Mass. The girl is followed by her parents, padrinos, and court to her confirmation ceremony. Instead of a traditional Mass with specific Bible reading, in this day the priest will be directed to the girl who should keep her faith and remember the eternal love of God. For reminding her of this, the priest blesses whether the ring, the tiara, or the necklace, which represents the love God has for the Quinceañera as his daughter and princess.
3. Dress and After the Mass
The dress is usually the same ball gown of the party. That’s why many girls take photoshoots after the Mass: she can have her confirmation, take the photo shoot and go to the party. Also, many churches provide a great scenery. Check with the church the photo/video policy and how long you can keep your decoration for that.
If you’re going to have the party after the Mass, make sure you have enough time for eating and relaxing before the party. You don’t want to be too tired for it. But important is that you realize the meaning of this date. You’ll for sure have a memorable Mass after those hints.
