Quinceañeras are a traditional Latin American celebration of a girl's 15th birthday that marks her coming of age into becoming a young woman. On Saturday, March 7, the Wenatchee Convention Center filled with colorful ball gowns, families dancing and dozens of businesses ready to showcase services for this milestone celebration.
“The community is strong. There's not very much out here for even small businesses that don’t have the opportunity to show what they have,” said Shantel Valenzuela, the event director. “I feel like it’s powerful. It’s bringing families and businesses and organizations together and uplift one another.”
The Wenatchee Quinceañera Expo drew about 400 people from across Washington state, offering families a one-stop place to plan the event. About 60 different businesses were part of the annual event, which is free for people to attend.
The event concluded with a fashion show where young women from the Wenatchee Valley walked down a runway to model dresses. Many participants said the show offers a chance to express pride in their culture and honor the people who raised them.
“When a young girl is coming of age it’s big for our Hispanic community to celebrate,” Valenzuela said. “This event is for girls to envision their dream quinceañnera and come find what they need for their big day.”
The different pieces of a quinceañera
The celebration commemorates a young woman’s transition and her new responsibilities within the family and community. The tradition traces back to Mesoamerican cultures. When Spanish colonizers arrived in the Americas in the 1500s, it evolved to include Catholic elements such as a mass.
The ritual is celebrated across Latin America, including in parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador. Modern quinceañeras blend traditional and contemporary elements. After a church service, celebrations often include symbolic moments such as a dance between the quinceañera and her father or another significant male family member.
The celebration also includes a Court of Honor made up of a group of young women, known as damas, and their male escorts, called chambelanes. They are often close relatives or friends of the family.
Other traditions include the “changing of the shoes,” when the young woman swaps flats for high heels to symbolize maturity, and the “last doll” ceremony, when she gives away a childhood toy as a farewell to childhood.
Family friends known as madrinas and padrinos often sponsor parts of the event, helping families cover costs. For many families, the celebration also doubles as a large reunion that brings relatives together.
People showcase culture and tradition
At the Wenatchee Quinceañera Expo, people of all ages were involved. Teenagers and children practiced dance routines and modeled gowns on the runway, giving families a glimpse of what their celebrations could look like. Adults helped people get ready for the runway and played music.
Mitzie Garcia, 15, participated in dancing and the fashion show and is planning her own quinceañera. For her, the event was a preview of what she will expect for her celebration this summer.
“It’s a traditional part of a quince to have a surprise dance. Dancing is important,” Garcia said. “I also get to express my nationality. It just feels good to be able to”
Dancers show off choreography possibilities at the event. Gustavo Mota, a dancer at Shantel Valenzuela Choreography said the dances reflect how the tradition has evolved across generations. For many teens, the dances are also a way to stay connected to their heritage and to continue traditions. There are often two dances featuring the young woman.
“The reason that there’s two different dances ‘causes a lot of surprise dances’ is more like that of the new generation, but the bailes keep the old traditions of Mexico and that’s why we still have all of the courts,” Mota said. “ I’ve always enjoyed dancing. I have been in the quinceañeras and going to the bailies (dances), it keeps me more connected to my roots.”
Valenzuela said the expo is meant to support both families and local businesses by giving them a place to connect. That spirit was visible throughout the event, where many vendors worked alongside relatives and friends. She said organizing the expo was a family effort, with relatives helping backstage, setting up booths and assisting with the runway.
“It wasn't just me behind the whole scene. My family is a big help. They helped me backstage,” she said.
Her father, Art Rodriguez, a loan originator at Cashmere Valley Bank, served as the event’s emcee, while other relatives filled different roles. Some greeted guests, others assisted vendors or helped with preparations throughout the venue. Rodriguez said relatives and family friends stepped in wherever help was needed.
In Latino culture, large celebrations such as quinceañeras often rely on extended family networks. Planning and hosting the milestone event typically involves parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and grandparents sharing responsibilities, from food preparation to decorations and organizing the ceremony.
Rodriguez said quinceañeras themselves often require significant planning and expense, which is why many families rely on broad support networks to make the celebration possible.
“Normally right now a quinceañera is running from $20,000 to $50,000, depending how big you want to go,” he said.
That family-centered approach extended to many of the businesses participating in the expo.
Greteel Millán, a vendor at the event, runs a snack-style catering service, called Grety’s Munchies offering items such as a michelada bar, an ice cream bar and paletas where guests can customize treats with toppings like fruit, chamoy, chile and Tajín.
Millán said the business started three years ago after her husband suggested launching a family-run venture that could serve celebrations in the community.
They began with a single snack bar and have since expanded to five services, allowing them to cater multiple events in one day. The business remains family-operated, with help from her husband, her mother and two additional employees. Her son Oliver Millán has also begun learning the trade by helping her at the expo.
“Working together at the expo we get to stay connected to the community we serve,” Greteel Millán said.
For nine-year-old Izel Rodriguez, the expo was something she and other young girls on the runway took seriously. For them it was about celebrating culture, community and a tradition passed down through generations. Many of the young girls said they had attended other quinceañeras and felt excited about having one of their own someday.
“All of my cousins had a quinceañera and some of us haven’t because we’re too young,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve seen them with their big dresses and we all want one too.”
Reneé Diaz may be contacted at [email protected]. Collaborative reporting by The Wenatchee World, NWPB and Murrow College of Communication Newsroom Fellowship.
