Belle of the Ball

Like most 15 year olds, Julie Olivan looks forward to getting a learner's permit and starting her sophomore year in a new school.

Unlike her classmates, Olivan's 15th birthday celebration was a rite of passage - a celebration of traditions and family bonds, honoring the Clearwater resident's path to adulthood.

On July 10, Olivan dressed in a strapless, sequined pink gown and carried a bouquet of pink roses trimmed with silver ribbon and knelt before a priest, who blessed items from her childhood.

It was a signal of her transition to adulthood.

Originating in Mexico, quinceañeras are widely celebrated by girls throughout the world, and even in villages, such as Clearwater, as family and friends noted the milestone at the American Legion in Clearwater.

"Quinceañeras are important to my culture because they help to celebrate women. It shows how important we are and that we deserve recognition," said Olivan, when asked why quinceañeras are so widely celebrated in Mexican culture.

A mass was held in Norfolk before the celebration at the legion, to honor Olivan and her family.

"At first, I was only going to have a blessing, but my grandma from Mexico felt that it was really important to her. A few days before my "quince," we decided to have the mass, after talking to the pastor. We felt that the mass really helped emphasize the importance of God helping me enter into adulthood," Olivan said.

A traditional aspect of a quinceañera is to have a court filled with family and friends.

The court represents the girl's support system for her entrance into adulthood.

"I spend so much time with my classmates that it just felt normal to have them be on my court, they are my closest friends since we spend almost every day together for months at a time," Olivan said.

Alanna Doll, a members of Olivan's court, "loved" being a part Olivan's celebration.

"I said yes to being on the court because I know how special this day is to her. I know she will remember it for the rest of her life and it's the least I can do for friendship that she shows me," Doll stated.

Doll knew "quinces" are an important part of the Mexican culture and being able to experience it firsthand was different, yet exciting.

"I loved learning about the meaning of the different dances and events that occurred and being a part of her quince was the best way to truly understand the tradition and the importance in Julie's culture," Doll stated.

When asked why she chose the pink dress, Olivan said in her culture it is traditional and "expected" to pick a big dress.

"I know that there are cultures who don't use the big poufy dresses at their quinceañeras, but in my culture, we celebrate our quince by wearing large, glamorous dresses."

Another tradition for a quinceañera is to have a party after the church service.

"We started the night by doing our entry dance into my quinceañera . My cousin gave me a necklace with the Virgin Mary on it," Olivan stated.

The necklace, or ambulant in Spanish, represents faith in God and protection into the next phase of the girl's life.

Olivan's godparents gifted her a ring that represents God's love for the beholder of the ring. Other traditions at a quinceañera are to have a crown placed on the young woman's head, to symbolize royalty and denote unity with God and the world and to have heels placed on the young woman to represent the change to a stage of maturity with a strong foundation.

"My grandma placed the crown on my head and my dad placed my high heels on me because it meant a lot to them to help me enter into adulthood."

Like other celebrations, a father-daughter dance took place to show love and father-daughter bond they will forever have.

A not-so-well-known tradition also occurred at Olivan's quinceañera. Her aunt gave her a doll and played a song that said, "I'm giving my daughter her last doll," to represent this young woman's transition into adulthood.

"It's a tradition in my family to give the doll to a younger girl to make sure they still enjoy their youth, but I'm not sure if many other families celebrate that part of the doll tradition," stated Olivan.

A large group dance occurred, using the traditional waltz style after the doll tradition portion was finished. According to Olivan, many guests participated in the sophisticated, yet upbeat dance.

Of course, a toast to celebrate Olivan was given shortly after the dance. More dancing occurred after the toast, to the tune of the mariachi band that ended up becoming the hit of the party.

Doll said the dances were her favorite part of Olivan's quinceañera .

Doll stated, "I loved learning all the different dances and practicing them beforehand. Even if we weren't doing them perfectly, we had so much fun practicing them."