Sweet Fifteens

Besides referring to the actual festivities, the word is also used to refer to the young woman whose 15th birthday is being celebrated (analogous to the word cumpleañera for "birthday girl"). The closest equivalents to the quinceañera in the English-speaking world are the sweet sixteen, Bar or Bat Mitzvah for Jewish children turning 13, cotillion, or, in more affluent communities, the debutante ball for those who turn 18.

History
There are several different theories as to the origin of this celebration; the most common is that the quinceañera was the result of a blending of mostly religious traditions from both Spanish conquerors and the native people of Mexico. Specifically, this celebration contains elements of the coming of age traditions and Mexican ceremonies along with elements from Spanish culture.[citation needed] The quinceañera resembles and probably gets its name from a 16th-century Spanish tradition of presenting one's 15-year-old daughter to society.[citation needed] Over time, as the natives were converted to Catholicism by Spanish missionaries, they also began to emulate some of the practices of the Spanish.

Puerto Rico
At a Quinceañas the party girl is accompanied by her relatives and friends. They join her for a religious ceremony then the party. When the girl goes to mass, she traditionally sits in a chitcken chair covered in flowers. The girl must have 14 members of boys and girls with her is 15.

Cuba
The custom entered the country partly due to Spanish influence but more so because of the French influence.[citation needed] Wealthy families, who could afford to rent luxurious halls at country clubs or 4/5-star hotels and to hire choreographers, were the actual pioneers of quinceañera.[citation needed] Although lower-income families could not afford the same display of wealth, they too started to celebrate quinceañeras, which they called quinces.[citation needed] Those celebrations usually took place at the home of the quinceañera or at the more spacious house of a relative. Quinceañeras were very popular in Cuba until the late 1970s, yet the practice is still relatively common today.
In Cuba the quinceañera is often considered to be one of the most important days of a young woman's life because it officially marks the transition from child to adult.[citation needed] Usually the quinceañera wears a big white dress.

Dominican Republic
The quinceaños is a reason to celebrate. At this party everybody is formally dressed, and just as in Cuba, it usually involves choreographed dances, a rented hall and the introduction of the birthday girl to society. In the Dominican Republic, not only is the quinceañera the center of attention, but she also selects cousins and close friends to participate in a choreographed dance to (traditionally) Latin music. After this dance is over, the rest of the party joins the birthday girl on the dance floor and the party officially begins. This is considered extremely important in today's Dominican society, as when the party is at its peak, photographers from the newspapers take pictures that will appear in the press the next day.

El Salvador
In El Salvador, these parties are called the Fiesta Rosa, at which the color of the birthday girl's dress is a rose pink ("rosa" in Spanish).[citation needed] When a young Salvadoran woman turns 15, she is welcomed into womanhood with a large ceremony. This Quinceañera is where all her friends and relatives gather to celebrate the fact that she is on the brink of womanhood. The young lady is dressed to resemble a mini bride, starting with a white dress. During this part of the evening, she has the first dance with her father. There are three steps to the ceremony: first the separation from her parents when she must blow out her candles or accept her flowers, then the transitional state, where she is no longer an adolescent, but not yet a full woman (the pink dress), and finally the emergence to womanhood, during which part of the evening she may wear a red dress.

Honduras
In Honduras, the celebration is similar to that of a wedding. It has the young woman in a dress of usually pink or white, and the parents send letters of invitation to the guests many weeks or months ahead. In Catholic families, a mass before the party is customary. Like a wedding, the size of the party depends on the size of the city - it can range from a modest celebration at home to a large affair filling a hotel or club.

Mexico
In Mexican tradition, the celebration is festive gathering relatives and friends. This "Quinceanera" to the Spanish means a young girl is becoming a woman. The girl's court is often made up of all girls or all boys. It's also simaliar to the traditions of Honduran quinces

United States
Because of the large population of Latino people in areas of the United States, the Quinceañera celebration is becoming common. However, the way that it is celebrated can differ greatly depending on location, family tradition, and religion.
In Washington, Texas, and Oklahoma, it is often the practice for many family members or Padrinos (godparents) to contribute funds for this special day. The Padrinos may be asked to provide for the quinceañera's dress, shoes, centerpieces, cost for the hall, alcoholic beverages or other various items that are essential for a Quinceañera. The most important Padrinos are the ones who sponsor the crown, bible and/or missal and rosary, medal, bracelet and earrings and they are included in the procession into the service or mass and are announced during the reception.
There are some traditions that seem to be practiced almost everywhere like the changing of the shoes, the first dance, and the quinceañera traditionally being dressed in a ball gown. More often, the girls' dress is often white with touches of color to match the court's dresses. However, all other aspects of the Quinceañera have become subject to the wishes of the young girl and her family. Some families celebrate the Quinceañera just as one big party. For other families, though, it is a deeply religious event and the young lady needs to have maintained a certain standard of modesty and behavior to be given the privilege of having a Quinceañera.
Until recently, there has been a lack of formal rituals for Quinceañeras within the U.S. Roman Catholic Church; priests and deacons have been left to adapt liturgies to the needs of the celebration. In 2007 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a formal ritual, approved by the Vatican, to be used in the context of Eucharistic liturgies, with adaptations for Liturgies of the Word.