I know Quinceaneras are not new and that many Latinas celebrate them. However, I never knew what one was till I was pretty much an adult. I'm Hispanic. I grew up in Northern New Mexico in a very strong Spanish Catholic culture-- without a tradition of Quinceaneras. Not one of my peers ever had one. I don't feel like a missed out on anything, but still I'm truly mesmerized by all the stories I hear about them.

At 16, I was more excited to get a car than spend a day in church with my nearest and dearest friends and then have a big party afterward. Maybe I missed out on something? ;-)

...so the masses here can stop being so racist and judgmental about it. This is their thing, let it be.

I’m Latina and I find the whole quinceañera thing just wrong on so many levels.

First, there is a Mass to basically thank the Virgin Mary that the birthday girl is still a virgin with a pledge to remain that way, often with a ring from Daddy to boot. Last time I looked Salon was sort of making fun of Bible Belt nutters who do almost the same thing with “Purity Balls”. To be accurate, not all Latinos do the Mass – it’s certainly not common for Dominicans but it is for Mexicans, Panamanians, etc.

Then there is the symbolism of “now you are a woman”. Sorry, but getting a “last doll” and wearing high heels and a tiara does not make woman of a fifteen year old child.

Then there is the extravagance of the whole thing. In the US especially the whole thing is usually a way for immigrants who came to the US with next to nothing and are now living the American Dream to show off by spending money left and right. Yes, these things can be very expensive as they are basically a wedding without the groom, including the white princess dress and tiara (and a pledge to stay “pure” for the next huge expensive party – the wedding). Conspicuous consumption at its worst.

Many people compare quinceañeras with debutante balls but they are really not the same thing beyond the fact that the original intent of both was to say to the world “my daughter is ready to get married – who wants her?” WASPS have their debutante balls but it’s much more sedate and more about tradition than about showing off.

The grand parties are just silly. They perpetuate the notion that a young girl who is usually as immature as most 15 year olds can somehow be a woman overnight. They perpetuate the myth that virginity and “purity” are all important in the grand scheme of a woman’s life. They perpetuate materialism, commercialism and a “keeping up with Jones’” attitude. The whole thing should be scrapped. But as long as silly young girls want to dress up like princess and be the center of attention they’ll stay with us.

Being Hispanic, I find a lot of these comments hard to swallow. I thought the point of the story was to illustrate the integration of Hispanic culture into an Anglo-American world. Unfortunately, the only way to integrate is by means of money. Admittedly so, the celebrations have become quite lavish, exceeding many families' income, but is that the fault of the families or the fault of the "American Ideal?" Many Hispanic families want to live like any other American family because they are like any other American family. This celebration is important culturally, religiously, and traditionally- to undermine it as just another way for Hispanic families to put themselves into debt is ridiculous. The next time you experience a culturally important event with your family or friends, I hope you realize its strength and think regretfully about undermining another culture's tradition.

Do they put them on a shelf? Let their sisters play with them? What do they do?

Yes, I am aware that there has been a Hispanic presence in this geographical region since the Conquistadores.

The point was about adopting the generic "American Culture" of consumerism.

The quinceanera is such an over-the-top celebration of femininity. What do Latino families do for their tomboy daughters? Anything positive?

The quinceañera is something I've only heard about in the last five years. I studied a lot of Spanish - none of which has stuck with me - but the cultural part did, and the "quincy" was never mentioned in the many texts I read or the discussions by teachers.

For that matter, my sister never had a Sweet Sixteen party, nor any of her girlfriends. The only thing I got at sixteen was my military ID taken away, since I no longer qualified as a dependent of my father's Navy service, and couldn't buy cheap stuff on military bases.

Maybe this spate of "celebrate youth" parties are the parents reliving their own teen years through their kids. Or corporate salesmanship, as other people have suggested. That little dark voice in the back of my head says, "They're celebrating their sixteenth birthday 'cause they'll be dead of drugs or drive-bys by the time they're eighteen." Either way, it's something I'm sure will only lead to spending money, and more important, heartbreak; these silly rituals always go bad in the end.

Do women really pee without shutting your stall door in the ladies room "because everyone inside except the little toddler in mommy's arms is female"?

Y'all nasty!

"Latino teen girls have the highest suicide rate in US"

No they don't, not even close. The population with the highest rate of suicide--by a lot--in the US are white men over 65 yrs. Native American men, particularly younger ones, have relatively high rates, too. Women across the ethnic spectrum tend to die by suicide much less frequently than men, and this is true almost everywhere in the world (with the exception of China and some South Asian countries).

What you might have read or heard are that rates among Latinas are increasing (i.e. that a greater percentage committed suicide than last year, but still fewer than the groups above), or that attempted suicides are increasing. Either of those things are a problem, but there is a world of difference.

And why would that statistic, even if true, "bear greatly" in this article? Do you think that Latino culture is so simple that everything important can be addressed in a single book, let alone a single book chapter? If you're actually interested, there are people writing about suicide among Latina teens. Find them.