Selects: What's a quinceañera anyway?

Summary

Stuff You Should Know: Episode Summary Title: What's a Quinceañera Anyway? Hosts: Josh Clark & Chuck Bryant Produced By: iHeartPodcasts Episode Date: May 15, 2018

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I. Introduction

In this engaging episode of Stuff You Should Know, hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant delve into the vibrant and culturally rich celebration of the quinceañera. The discussion is sparked by Chuck’s realization that he was previously unaware of the intricacies of this significant tradition, prompting a comprehensive exploration of its meanings, origins, and modern practices.

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II. Defining Quinceañera, Hispanic vs. Latino

Josh Clark begins by addressing common misconceptions surrounding Hispanic and Latino identities:

“Quinceanera literally translates to the girl who is 15.” (Timestamp: 18:02)

Chuck Bryant adds clarity, explaining the interchangeable use of "Hispanic" and "Latino":

“Hispanic refers to whether or not you actually have Spanish-speaking roots… Latino can be like Brazil and places in South America as well.” (Timestamp: 04:08)

This distinction sets the stage for understanding the quinceañera within its broader cultural context.

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III. History and Origins

Chuck Bryant shares insights into the historical roots of the quinceañera, tracing it back to ancient Aztec traditions:

“The origins of this date back all the way to the Aztec Indians… they were performing these festivals because girls back then were marriage-ready at the age of 15.” (Timestamp: 08:08)

Josh Clark elaborates on the syncretism between indigenous rituals and Spanish colonial influences:

“This is an example of syncretism. There's the melding of Catholic beliefs and like pagan pre-colonial beliefs… the whole thing starts at a Catholic church with a mass.” (Timestamp: 20:10)

The hosts acknowledge the uncertainty surrounding the exact origins but agree on the blend of cultural elements that define the tradition.

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IV. Modern Practices

Transitioning to contemporary times, Chuck Bryant highlights the evolution of quinceañeras across different socioeconomic backgrounds:

“Until the 1960s, it was really kind of an upper-class thing… as Latinos immigrated to the United States, they spread throughout the US and Latin America across all socioeconomic classes.” (Timestamp: 10:10)

Josh Clark emphasizes the communal aspect, noting how communities often contribute to the celebration:

“It's a way of people of Latino heritage to say, you know, this is my heritage too and this is how I'm going to come of age in America.” (Timestamp: 12:28)

This collective effort underscores the deep-rooted sense of community and familial support inherent in quinceañeras.

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V. Traditions and Rituals

The episode delves into the specific customs that make quinceañeras unique:

• Religious Ceremony: Josh Clark describes the solemn beginning at a Catholic church, where the young woman receives blessings:

  “Once the mass is done… she may have her own mass for it… but she may also be sharing that mass with other quinceañeras.” (Timestamp: 26:20)

• Court of Attendants: Chuck Bryant explains the roles of damas (maids of honor) and chambalaynes (chamberlains):

  “They may have 14 damas, representing the 14 years of her life… depending on how many close friends you have.” (Timestamp: 22:19)

• The Dress and Presentation: Josh Clark highlights the significance of the quinceañera’s dress and the ceremonial transition:

  “The dress is a very big part of the celebration… a big frilly floor-length gown… like a princess dress.” (Timestamp: 24:05)

• Symbolic Gestures: The ritual of changing shoes signifies the transition from girlhood to womanhood:

  “Her dad comes over and takes those off, and then he puts on high heels and snaps his fingers, twirls, and goes. She's a woman.” (Timestamp: 36:07)

• Surprise Dance (Baile Sorpresa): A choreographed dance performed unexpectedly to delight the guests:

  “It's a surprise dance… they practice this dance and they're doing it… very earnest about it too.” (Timestamp: 41:10)

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VI. Examples and Stories

The hosts share compelling anecdotes illustrating the diversity and scale of quinceañeras:

• Ruby Ibarra Garcia’s Viral Quinceañera: Josh Clark recounts the overwhelming turnout when Ruby’s video invitation went viral:

  “20,000 people from around the world show up to Ruby's quinceañera party in this little town of 200.” (Timestamp: 38:39)

• Extravagant Celebrations: Chuck Bryant discusses an extreme example where an attorney spent $6 million on his daughter’s quinceañera:

  “She had Nick Jonas perform, Pitbull, a 55,000 square foot venue… nine Rolls Royces.” (Timestamp: 42:30)

These stories underscore the varying degrees of celebration and the profound personal and cultural significance attached to the quinceañera.

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VII. Cultural Significance and Criticism

Chuck Bryant addresses the societal perceptions and critiques of quinceañeras, especially regarding financial implications:

“It's very easy for someone to say, like, if you're poor living in Mexico City, why are you wasting... your money on this celebration... You never hear this kind of criticism for bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs or debutantes.” (Timestamp: 12:28)

Josh Clark appreciates the inclusive and communal nature of the tradition:

“I really appreciate that that's part of it, you know, rather than it's just the parents are footing the bill for everything.” (Timestamp: 32:35)

The hosts emphasize that quinceañeras are deeply embedded in Latino cultures, serving as a celebration of heritage, identity, and the pivotal transition into adulthood.

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VIII. Conclusion

In wrapping up, Josh Clark reflects on the communal and familial aspects that make quinceañeras remarkable:

“It's a culture where family and community is such an important, revered thing. And it's something I'm envious of, you know?” (Timestamp: 33:17)

Chuck Bryant concurs, expressing admiration for the tradition’s emphasis on togetherness and support:

“Yeah, for sure.” (Timestamp: 33:26)

The episode concludes with a heartfelt appreciation for the quinceañera as more than just a party, but a meaningful rite of passage that honors tradition, community, and personal growth.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

1. Josh Clark:

   “Quinceanera literally translates to the girl who is 15.” (18:02)

2. Chuck Bryant:

   “Until the 1960s, it was really kind of an upper-class thing…” (10:10)

3. Josh Clark:

   “It's a way of people of Latino heritage to say, you know, this is my heritage too…” (12:28)

4. Chuck Bryant:

   “The origins of this date back all the way to the Aztec Indians…” (08:08)

5. Josh Clark:

   “Once the mass is done…” (26:20)

6. Chuck Bryant:

   “How Long have you been saving for this? For 15 years.” (32:35)

7. Josh Clark:

   “It's a culture where family and community is such an important, revered thing.” (33:17)

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Stuff You Should Know offers a comprehensive and heartfelt exploration of the quinceañera, shedding light on its historical roots, cultural significance, and the intricate traditions that make it a beloved celebration across Latino communities worldwide. Through insightful dialogue and personal anecdotes, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant provide listeners with a rich understanding of what a quinceañera truly represents.

Transcript

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[Josh Clark]

Wi fi that reaches the attic. I finally have a home office.

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[Chuck Bryant]

Hi folks. Happy Saturday. I hope you're enjoying your weekend. I hope you're with your friends, your family, your loved one. If you don't like anybody at all, hope you're by yourself and you're having a good time. I just hope you're well in general. This episode is for May 15, 2018, and it's called what's a Quinceanera? Anyway, I didn't know until we did this episode. So listen and find out if you don't know.

[Jerry]

Welcome to Stuff youf Should Know, a production of iHeartRadio.

[Josh Clark]

Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. And there's Charles W. Chuck Bryant. And there's Jerry. And this is a very special day for us.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's a very special day for Jerry because she's celebrating her her very special day because today Jerry turns sweet 15, right?

[Josh Clark]

Well, technically, it's her triple quinceanera.

[Chuck Bryant]

No, Jerry started producing the show when she was 5. Oh, yeah, remember, she was the wunderkind.

[Josh Clark]

She was a child prodigy. Threw a lot of temper tantrums.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, but we got through that time.

[Josh Clark]

We did the terrible fives.

[Chuck Bryant]

And now she's just a pretty little lady in her pink lacy satiny dress.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, that dress is a lot, even for a Quinceanera dress, Jerry.

[Chuck Bryant]

Agreed.

[Josh Clark]

Can I go ahead and say I don't do the R roll very well, so I'm just going to say quinceanera.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay. Instead of quinceanera. That wasn't very good either.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

I used to do a good R roll because of German, but I feel like I've lost it a bit and.

[Josh Clark]

I guess it's actually an N roll. Quinceanera. Oh, that was good, right? Yeah. But if I try to keep it up, I think it's going to fatigue everybody pretty quick, so. Quinceanera.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well. And the last thing we want to be are two jackass white dudes.

[Josh Clark]

Well, that's what we're doing.

[Chuck Bryant]

Landed on too thick.

[Josh Clark]

2:40 something white dudes are about to talk about quinceaneras. Like, we know what we're talking about.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, we did the research and I think it's. I think it's good to cover stuff like this.

[Josh Clark]

I do too. I had very little understanding about this just from what I've seen on like MTV or whatever, you know, did they have a show. They have one called like my sweet 16 or whatever that I might be conflating with, but I swear I've seen Quinton. Like, I knew some of this stuff somewhere. I don't know where, though. Somewhere just in the. Just being plugged into culture. I knew it, I guess.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Well, I lived in Los Angeles, as you know, and they have obviously quite a Latin population. And I looked up Hispanic and Latino. I wanted to get it. All right, good, good.

[Josh Clark]

Let's hear what you got.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, it says that they can generally be used interchangeably these days, but I think Latino can like. I think Hispanic refers to whether or not you actually have Spanish speaking roots.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, is that right?

[Chuck Bryant]

But Latino can be like Brazil and places in South America as well. If I'm not mistaken, I heard once.

[Josh Clark]

That Ronald Reagan was the person who coined the term Hispanic, or at least popularized it.

[Chuck Bryant]

Really?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, it was that tattoo across his upper back. Hispanic for life.

[Josh Clark]

For life, Yep. With the number four.

[Chuck Bryant]

But at any rate, you know, lived in LA and there's, you know, a large Mexican population, so I would see quintaneras going on all the time. When you're just driving around on a weekend, I would see stuff and I was like, wait a minute, it's not promoting. It's summer. Like, what's going on?

[Josh Clark]

It's like prom times 10.

[Chuck Bryant]

And then some. Somebody hit me in the head and they're like, you dummy. You dumb white guy from The South. That's a quinceaneras.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

And so I was like, well, you know what? One day I'm gonna do a podcast about that.

[Josh Clark]

They said, what is a podcast to.

[Chuck Bryant]

Make up for all this?

[Josh Clark]

He said, just watch.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right.

[Josh Clark]

So one thing I saw was with Letitia, you know, like with Latino or Latina, there's that ingrained masculine. But something I saw pop up in a couple of sites was they would replace the O or the A with an X just to make it gender neutral. Like Latinx.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Clark]

I don't know how you pronounce it. I didn't get that far. But I saw it in print in a couple different sites to where they were trying to remove the gender from, you know, Latino or Latina and just make it gender neutral. Because there's. There's a. I haven't seen it, but there's an HBO documentary about quinceaneras and one of them is for a trans girl.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay. Would it be pronounced Latinx?

[Josh Clark]

Maybe.

[Chuck Bryant]

I mean, I have to see it written down.

[Josh Clark]

How is the X in, like Oaxaca? Isn't it like. So maybe Leti.

[Chuck Bryant]

I have no idea.

[Josh Clark]

That's where I'm going with.

[Chuck Bryant]

Here we go. I didn't want to be too dumb. Dumbs. And we're so far down dum dum.

[Josh Clark]

Lane, it's not even funny.

[Chuck Bryant]

No.

[Josh Clark]

So let's try to get this back on the rails, shall we? I think what we just did was great because we explored some questions we had, but now we can talk about everything we know about quintingueiris.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right. Which is. We've been dancing around this thing. This is the 15th birthday celebration for young ladies, young women in Mexico, Puerto Rico, in Cuba, in the United States, kind of all over the world this can take place.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And it seems to be. So it's actually a very traditional thing to where Catholic, like the catholicness of the girl and her even pre Catholic origins bind together with what I guess you would call like is a universal coming of age celebration that also focuses on the individuality and tastes of the girl. You put all those things together, you have a quinceanera, which is a 15th birthday party, which is a coming out party for a girl as she transitions from girlhood into womanhood. It happens on this day and they throw a huge celebration and there's a lot of really cool traditions that you're going to find at like every quinceanera that have some. A neat origin story to them or a neat symbolism to them, and also.

[Chuck Bryant]

Some Great music, some delicious food, and family coming together for an important day. It's really great.

[Josh Clark]

Not just family. The whole community is meant to, you know, like extended family. People in the community that have, like, had an impact on the girl's life. Like a teacher, people chip in for the expense of this. It's like a real communal thing.

[Chuck Bryant]

Should we go back in time?

[Josh Clark]

Okay, let's.

[Chuck Bryant]

Or did you want to go to the future?

[Josh Clark]

No, no, we'll go back in time.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right. So the origins of this, they date back all the way to the Aztec Indians, Obviously, in the 1400s and 1500s, they were performing these festivals because girls back then were marriage ready at the age of 15. That's kind of what it symbolized.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And, like, it wasn't just the Aztecs, like, around the world and cultures around the world, like, you would find some sort of coming of age or rites of passage into womanhood. And. Yeah, when you came out the other end, it was like you were on the market then from that point on.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. And they had ceremonies, they had speeches, talking about how important it is to become a wise, upstanding member of society as a young woman. Then the Spanish come along, of course. They invade what we now call Mexico, overthrew the Aztecs, and that brought in a European influence to this whole experience. And this is where things got a little more like debutante.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, it's actually. I looked into this a little further, Chuck, and they can't say for certain where quinceaneras came from, but they think the Aztecs, but their source comes from a single nun working in Mexico who wrote an account that had been given to a priest 40 years earlier.

[Chuck Bryant]

Wow.

[Josh Clark]

From another priest who had supposedly, in the 1520s, interviewed some Aztec high priests about their culture. So that's where the whole idea that there was a rite of passage at age 15 comes from. Kind of shaky. And then other people say, well, no, this is obviously a Spanish colonial influence, like being presented at court. But the idea that it's a rite of passage into womanhood is so universal that it probably is a combination of the two of them. No one can just say for certain, though, what the origin is specifically.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And apparently until the 1960s, it was really kind of an upper class thing. But then in the 1960s, as Latinos immigrated to the United States and they became more part of American fabric, they really kind of spread throughout the US And Latin America as becoming across all socioeconomic classes. And we'll get to this a little more later, but wonderfully like you said, in poorer communities, you see entire communities chipping in some money many times. Or the godmothers and godfathers, the Padrinos and madrinas. You like that?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, that was good.

[Chuck Bryant]

To help pay for this stuff, I saw this photographer did a really great photo series of quinceanera celebrations in poor neighborhoods in Mexico and photographed these really beautiful photographs of these young women in their dresses, sort of in the middle of a very depressed neighborhood and just showing how important it was that they still had this celebration even though they. It was a burden financially on their families.

[Josh Clark]

Right. Yeah. I think Mexico City got together in 2007 and some of the businesses, some nonprofit groups, held a big mass quinceanera and now they do it every year for girls who wouldn't otherwise be able to have one.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. I also read a New York Times article where there's a lot of bias when it comes to things like this and bar and bat mitzvahs and debutante balls, where it's very easy for someone to say, like, if you're poor living in Mexico City, why are you wasting. And that's in air quotes, your money on this celebration when your family doesn't have much money. And they say you never hear this kind of criticism for bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs or debutantes, regardless of socioeconomic status. So this is just a very important part of their culture that should be. Shouldn't be looked down upon just because they may not have the kind of money to throw a big one. You know what I'm saying?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, yeah. And yeah, I'm sure one of the things that you just kind of hit on the head is that it's a part of Latinx culture, which is one reason why it's become so big in America. It's a way of people of Latino heritage to say, you know, this is my heritage too and this is how I'm going to come of age in America. But because it's also in America and these are American born girls of Latina heritage, they have come over time to kind of meld together with what Americans look at and say, that's just one enormous sweet 16 party.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right.

[Josh Clark]

But there's some details in there that you'll find at a quinceanera that you won't at a sweet 16 party. And we'll talk about those right after this.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well done.

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[Chuck Bryant]

Attention parents and grandparents.

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[Josh Clark]

Happy holidays everybody.

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[Josh Clark]

All right, Charles, So we are going to start the day. It's a frantic day. It's a hectic day. From everything I understand from what I've read, this is actually like a cool day for a girl, but also very stressful, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, it's like a. It's like a wedding or a prom or anything where there's a lot of pressure on this one, you know, six hour experience.

[Josh Clark]

But think about this. With a wedding, you've got your so to plan the wedding with. With prom, you've got a handful of other girls to plan. You know what you're doing with prom. And plus, prom's already being planned for you by your school or whatever.

[Chuck Bryant]

Sure.

[Josh Clark]

This is like your day and part of your responsibility as the quinceanera, which, by the way, quinceanera literally translates to the girl who is 15. So this is technically your fiesta de quinceanera or something like that.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right.

[Josh Clark]

Part of your responsibility as quinceanera is to show that you can take part in this planning. On the one hand, it's to allow it to reflect your personality and your taste. So you're the one who needs to choose all this stuff. But it also shows that you can be a grownup, too, and undertake months of. Of planning leading up to this thing and basically pull it off.

[Chuck Bryant]

Correct.

[Ring Announcer]

Right.

[Josh Clark]

Okay. So the whole thing starts with a trip to church, which is not what you're going to find. Right. Which is not what you're going to find at a normal American, like, say, sweet 16 party.

[Chuck Bryant]

No. And it depends on the church where you're going to have. And, you know, sometimes the celebration also occurs at the church. Sometimes that Occurs at a different spot, kind of like a wedding, you know, sometimes you'll have the reception somewhere else.

[Josh Clark]

Right. That's not how it started. Which we'll talk about that in a minute, but go ahead.

[Chuck Bryant]

But it depends on the church, where you're a member or where you're having this initial ceremony. But the girl before this all happens for weeks ahead of time may actually be required to attend classes in advance of this. So they're prepared and they know what to expect, right?

[Josh Clark]

They. Well, yeah, that's about it. As far as the weeks ahead part.

[Chuck Bryant]

As far as the church goes and all the planning. Yeah, of course.

[Josh Clark]

Right. So on the day they arrive at the church and you were saying like, you know, now it's kind of evolved to where you have like a wedding, you have the ceremony of the church and then the event elsewhere.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, you can.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And that's becoming more and more the way. But one of the reasons that is becoming the way is because in 1990 in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles archdiocese issued like a set of guidelines that basically put the kibosh on this idea of the quinceanera as a big lavish affair. And it really dampened this burgeoning, I guess, industry or tradition or whatever. It put a damper on it for a little while because families didn't want to go against the church. So they kind of toned down the quinceaneras. But the reason the church is doing this is because there were too many quinceaneras, not enough Spanish speaking priests. And then also the Catholic Church has always had an awkward position in this tradition. It's not a Catholic tradition, it's a cultural tradition by a group of people who are predominantly Catholic and involve the church as part of this tradition. But this tradition, if anything, is a syncretized tradition. Remember when we were in Guatemala, the melding of Catholic beliefs and like pagan pre colonial beliefs, indigenous beliefs, is syncretism. This is an example of that. There's like Aztec rituals supposedly mixed with this. The whole thing starts at a Catholic church with a mass. So the church has kind of had a alternately hands on and hands off view of this whole thing. And in 1990, they almost put a, a complete damper on it. But since then it's just kind of said, okay, we'll just start off at the church and we'll have the party afterward elsewhere.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And I've also seen that a lot of churches now are straying away from these because they feel like there's just a lot of disrespectful Behavior like people partying on the pews and taking pictures with their phone and texting and they kind of forget that they're in a church.

[Josh Clark]

Right. Which, I mean, if you step back and think about it, having a girl's 15 year birthday party in an actual church, that's a terrible idea to begin with.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's probably a bad idea.

[Josh Clark]

So it makes sense to do this kind of solemn ceremony at the church and then party elsewhere, which I think is pretty much par for the course these days.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, so before the mass takes place, this young woman has. And Kristen Conger. Remember Kristen?

[Josh Clark]

Of course. What's the name of their podcast?

[Chuck Bryant]

Unladylike.

[Josh Clark]

Unladylike, that's right.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Kristen and Caroline, formerly of Stuff mom never told you'd. Now with Unladylike. She wrote this article and she said that custom calls for 14 damas, or maiden attendants, to represent the 14 years of her life. Up until that point. I saw elsewhere. Seven.

[Josh Clark]

That's what I saw too.

[Chuck Bryant]

To be paired with seven young men. You want to pronounce that Shambalans.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, that's. That's how I took it. Shambalan's Shambalan.

[Chuck Bryant]

I read in another place, I was like, well, wait a minute, which is it? And it apparently can be 7 to 15. So.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

Depending on, I guess, how many really close friends you have. Kind of like picking out your bridesmaids and groomsmen.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And I saw plenty of videos of quinceaneras where, like, there were three girls.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, there's four.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. But I think under strict tradition of the quinceanera, you would have 14 girls and 15 dudes. You got 14 Damas, 15 Chambalaynes. And then one. I got it. And then one Chambalain Day honor, which I totally messed up. But it's basically the escort of honor who is the quinceanera's date.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. And again, I'm sure that there's some leeway the quinceanera cops aren't going to come by because you don't have enough friends helping you. They have larger fish to fry on quinceanera day.

[Josh Clark]

Right. Although whoever is helping you plan this would probably love it if you had 14 guys and 14 girls, because they all have to be outfitted.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Clark]

In exactly what you want them to wear. Because it's your party.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. And I don't think we mentioned. But the dress is a very big part of the celebration. Traditionally, it's either pink or white. Very satiny. I mean, it looks kind of like a prom dress. A big frilly floor length gown, but.

[Josh Clark]

That also is eight feet wide.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Exactly at the waist, like out. It's extraordinary. It's like a princess dress.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Like, I want a quinceanera.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, we can throw you one, buddy. Okay, you want to do that?

[Josh Clark]

Sure.

[Chuck Bryant]

You want to get all pretty for the camera?

[Josh Clark]

I definitely would. To find a nice dress.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, so the first stop, though, like you said, is the church. And this is where a lot of the ceremony takes place. They receive a blessing from a priest. The young woman commits herself to protecting her virginity and her spiritual devotion. And then they leave a bouquet of flowers near the Virgin Mary statue. And then traditionally they would give away a porcelain doll, one of their childhood dolls. Or again, tradition varies these days. It might be a step teddy bear or something else that just meant something to the girl.

[Josh Clark]

One thing I saw was a quinceanera Barbie.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah. All right, well, they'll pass that along to a younger sister or another relative, another female relative to basically say, like, again, symbolic of I'm entering young adulthood and I'm passing on this silly Barbie to you.

[Josh Clark]

What's the name of that? The Ultima Muneka.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, I don't know. I didn't see that.

[Josh Clark]

Ultima Muneca. It means the last doll.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay.

[Josh Clark]

And it shows that she's leaving girlhood behind.

[Guardian Bikes Announcer]

Right.

[Josh Clark]

And you can guess which one of those the ceramic doll or the old toy or the brand new Barbie the younger female relative wants these days. Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah. So that may or may not happen at the church. The thing that seems to be what definitely happens at the church is the girl is presented with a rosary, a prayer book or a Bible and leaves flowers at the altar and. Or the statue of the Virgin Mary and then receives a blessing. Right?

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right.

[Josh Clark]

So let's say that all that happened at the church and the girl has been blessed. Sometimes it's part of a regular Mass. Like she may stand up and come up to the altar and get a special blessing. If her parents are pulling all the right strings, maybe she can get her own mass for it. But she may also be sharing that mass with other quinceaneras. There's a bunch of different ways to do it, but once the mass is done, once she said, like, I am committing myself to the Catholic Church and I'm a very spiritual girl and thanks for the Blessing. I'm Audi 5000. She's heading off to the party.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. Get that. Just like a good wedding. Get that part over with quickly so you can get your party on.

[Josh Clark]

Right. So while she's getting into the limo, we'll take another break. Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right. Look at her trying to stuff that dress on that.

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[Chuck Bryant]

Attention parents and grandparents.

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They're assembled here in the United States of America. And I gotta say, Guardian Bikes was kind enough to send my daughter a guardian bike.

[Chuck Bryant]

And she loves the thing.

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It's her first big girl bike. I put it together with great ease and this thing is a great bike.

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[Josh Clark]

Biggest deal of the year.

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[Josh Clark]

Happy holidays, everybody.

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[Guardian Bikes Announcer]

That's right. I mean, you know, this time of year is always something different. A bunch of deliveries on one day, a tree wrecking cat the next, and then you're off to visit aunt Barbara.

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[Josh Clark]

Okay, Chuck, so she has gotten in the limo, she's driven off, and now they're going to the venue, which is basically anywhere that you would also hold like a wedding reception. You could hold a quincenier party.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I mean it could be. It really depends on the budget of the family involved. They could rent out a large hall or they could. It could be in the backyard of their own home or at a friend's house.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, and again, this is not just on the parents shoulders. It's very customary and very traditional for the girl to approach family members, members of the business community, just anybody she can think of to say, hey, costs are really adding up. And can you chip in a little bit? And like the quinceanera will be sponsored by multiple people besides just her parents.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And I did. I also read in that article on that really great photo spread the guy did, he interviewed the family members and one of the families, he said, how Long have you. You know, they didn't have much money. And he said, how long have you been saving for this? And they said, for 15 years.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, man.

[Chuck Bryant]

Like, they started socking away money every year because they knew this was coming.

[Josh Clark]

That is so great.

[Chuck Bryant]

And it was important. It was a very sweet story.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. I think the aspect that, you know, the community chips in and also comes to, like, witness this girl's transition to adulthood. I just really appreciate that. I think it's really cool that that's part of it, you know, rather than. It's just the parents are footing the bill for everything. I just think that's cool.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Well. And it's a culture where family and community is such a important, revered thing. And it's something I'm envious of, you know?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, for sure. So when the girl gets there, the first thing that's going to happen is the music's going to be starting and her court's going to come in and get introduced. Those are the damas and the shambalanes. Why is that not sounding right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Because it sounds French.

[Josh Clark]

Right. Okay, so that's. But am I pronouncing it French?

[Chuck Bryant]

I don't know. That's what I'm saying. I'm not sure. I don't know the origins of that word.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, so those two, her court, they're gonna come in one by one and get announced virtually just like a wedding, when the bride and groom show up. The groomsmaids? No. The bride, groomsmaids, the groomsmen and the bridesmaids. Yes. Come on, man. Bear with me.

[Chuck Bryant]

You're hanging in there.

[Josh Clark]

They get introduced one by one as they're coming in. And then finally, the chambalin, the honor escort, is introduced. And then you finally have the quintiera come in and the music changes, and she's like, raising the roof, you know, and the party's just. Everyone erupts into just craziness from that moment on.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And again, it could be a dj. It could be a mariachi band. It could be a rock band.

[Josh Clark]

It could be a DJ playing mariachi.

[Chuck Bryant]

It could be. It could be, like, with my wedding, I had an ipod loaded up with my mix.

[Josh Clark]

Very nice.

[Chuck Bryant]

And just hit play.

[Josh Clark]

Nice. So this is probably a DJ with a light system and a dance floor. All the videos I saw are very much like that.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

So the court's been introduced, and then one of the first things that happens is the girl is presented with a crown tiara. She's presented with a scepter.

[Chuck Bryant]

So for the killing.

[Josh Clark]

Right. For the bashing.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. That comes later.

[Josh Clark]

And then. Right. The ritual killing of the chipmunk. And she's seated probably on a throne of some sort. Or a central chair. Maybe one of those, like, wicker. Remember the wicker, like, 70s chair?

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Clark]

That, like, flared out and up. That looked kind of like. Yeah, maybe she's sitting on one of those. But she's basically the center of attention right now. And something kind of cool happens. The shoe she was wearing that she came in with flat soled sandals or slippers or something like that. Her dad comes over and takes those off, and then he puts on high heels and snaps his fingers, twirls, and goes. She's a woman.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yes. And I bet you anything this young lady has practiced walking in those before.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

I don't think she would want her first experience in high heels to be in that dress on the big day. This is just logical Chuck talking.

[Josh Clark]

Although it would be fun to watch.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, no. Come on.

[Josh Clark]

You don't think it would be.

[Chuck Bryant]

No one wants to see a. What do they. Kristen said they call her keenz girls sometimes. Yeah, no one wants to see a Kintz girl fall over.

[Josh Clark]

It's true.

[Chuck Bryant]

Except you. But you got laughed at while you did the backstroke, so I get it.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Mocked.

[Chuck Bryant]

They may also get gifts, but not always. A lot of times they are symbolic gifts. A lot of times other people will bring gifts, but from the parents. The festival and ceremony itself is the gift. But sometimes, if the parents have some dough and a big budget, they may get what's called regallo sopresa, which is a surprise gift on top of everything else. And this, of course, is including, like you mentioned, the prayer book and the rosary and the Bible and stuff like that.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And those were probably given to her at the church before. I'm thinking that depending on the position of her parents socioeconomically, the girl's probably getting other. Other presents, too.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

But yes, supposedly just the quinceanera party is like, this is plenty. Don't you think?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, but I think the gifts, too, also always represent that transition into adulthood. So she's not getting the dolls anymore. She gets maybe some jewelry or earrings and stuff like that. Stuff to deliver her into womanhood.

[Josh Clark]

And then guests are also given gifts as well.

[Chuck Bryant]

Sure.

[Josh Clark]

Party favors, the way that the whole thing's set up. Even though the community, like, might have people that chip in, or family members or whatever the parents are saying, like, come help celebrate our daughter's transition into womanhood. Right. So the party is meant as, like, A gift for the guests.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right.

[Josh Clark]

And so the thing is kind of meant to be, like, come and get your eat on and your drink on and just have a lot of fun. The thing is part of that welcomeness and that inclusiveness and that please come and be a part of this. That backfired really hard for this one couple. Have you heard about Ruby Ibarra Garcia?

[Chuck Bryant]

No.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, my. So Ruby ibarra Garcia turned 15 on December 26, 19. Year 2016. Okay. Just like a year or so ago. And she is from La Jolla, which is in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and it's a little tiny town of 200. And her parents decided to get with the times and make, like, a YouTube invitation, a video invitation to come to Ruby's quinceanera. But they posted it on YouTube and they didn't put any privacy settings on, and it went viral. And 20,000 people from around the world show up to Ruby's quinceanera party in this little town of 200.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's kind of great, though, right?

[Josh Clark]

It was great on the one hand, but if you look at the photos from it, she was very much overwhelmed the entire time.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, that's true.

[Josh Clark]

Was not expecting it. Apparently, like, on Facebook, like, over a million people said they were coming, but even still, 20,000. And if you look, there's, like, all these stands set up and, like, people from all over the country in the world chipped in to, like, feed everybody and make sure everybody had drinks or whatever. So the parents said, okay, we're doing. And they did it. They stepped up and met their. Or they kept their welcome to everybody, I guess is a way to put it.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's kind of great. But I can definitely see on the day that the girl might have been overwhelmed. But I bet she also, in retrospect, is like, hey, I've got one cool story for my life now.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah, she's got a big old story. And she got a Chevy Volt.

[Chuck Bryant]

Are you serious? Yeah, I couldn't tell. I literally couldn't tell. If you were just being jokey Josh there.

[Josh Clark]

No, that was. I didn't even need to be that time.

[Chuck Bryant]

So Chevy got involved, of course.

[Josh Clark]

I think her parents gave her that.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, I figured Chevy was like, hey, good press out of this.

[Josh Clark]

I think that was her regalo sopresa, her surprise gift. Yes.

[Chuck Bryant]

Wow.

[Josh Clark]

And speaking of sopresas, the. That was Yumi's Spanish name, by the way. But speaking of sopresas, there's also Chuck go on to YouTube and type in Baie Sorpresa B A I L E Sorpresa. And just start watching these videos because the Bai sorpresa is one of the hallmarks of the quinceanera party and they are about as adorable and embarrassing as you can imagine.

[Chuck Bryant]

What does that mean though? What is it?

[Josh Clark]

Oh, it's a surprise dance. So it's like for months ahead of time, the quinceanera and her court will practice a dance that they make up or that they hire like a choreographer and they will like perform this dance for the guests. It's the surprise dance. It's like part of the quinceanera and they're very cute to watch and so.

[Chuck Bryant]

They try to have fun with it. I guess they do.

[Josh Clark]

But they also are really, they're very earnest about it too. Like they practice this dance and they're doing it and it's very cute. That's wonderful. You can also hire chamblains, professional ones. They're all like dancers by trade, so they'll really knock your socks off of your guests. But it's lacking that heart of something you and your friends came up with yourself.

[Chuck Bryant]

Or if you had a lot of dough, you could hire a choreographer like Paula Rabdul or something.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, like her.

[Chuck Bryant]

She's still choreographing, right? Yeah, choreographing, choreographing.

[Josh Clark]

Something's bad wrong with us today.

[Chuck Bryant]

I know, man.

[Josh Clark]

You got anything else?

[Chuck Bryant]

I do. This is a little suppresso for you, my friend. There was a father in Texas a couple of years ago that spent $6 million on his 15 year old daughter.

[Josh Clark]

Oh my.

[Chuck Bryant]

He. What's his name Here, he's an attorney named Thomas J. Henry of San Antonio. They were very kind of well known family. His daughter Maya is big on Instagram and social media and she's big into activism. So she's like, you know, she's not just your ordinary teen.

[Josh Clark]

Good for her. Although that is kind of ordinary these days, thankfully.

[Chuck Bryant]

To be a well known teen activist.

[Josh Clark]

Well, to be active, sure.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. But at her quinceanera she had Nick Jonas perform Pitbull perform, sure. Let me see, what else here. A 55,000 square foot space that they built. I don't think they built it from scratch, but it does say that it was built, purpose built venue.

[Josh Clark]

How many guests?

[Chuck Bryant]

600 guests, man. A 30 foot tall cherry trees. A 30 foot tall cherry trees in full blossom.

[Josh Clark]

Wow.

[Chuck Bryant]

Walls of roses, a garden room, the ballroom with butterflies suspended from the ceiling. She wore a Rolando Santana dress, which means nothing to me.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, me either.

[Chuck Bryant]

But I assume that means it's something. She had her makeup done by Patrick Ta, who does the Kardashians. Her photographer was Michelle Obama's photographer. And Thomas Henry and his wife whose name is Azteca. Beautiful name. They hired a New York social event planner named David Mon. He had a 150 person team to plan out this party. And finally they arrived by police escort and nine Rolls Royces.

[Josh Clark]

Well, because why not? Why not get the police involved?

[Chuck Bryant]

And not to feel too bad for her little brother. Or I guess maybe it was a big brother. He spent $4 million on that kid's 18th birthday, I believe.

[Josh Clark]

Queso presa.

[Chuck Bryant]

So they have. They dropped 10 million bucks on a couple of parties for their kids, man.

[Josh Clark]

And those the girls in Mexico City are happy to be part of the citywide annual one.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I wonder what Pitbull got paid for that. A mil maybe.

[Josh Clark]

I bet Nick Jonas got more than Pitbull.

[Chuck Bryant]

Did you think?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

And of course she had her pictures with both of them and. Well, sure, I'm sure that was part of it. It's like.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah man. All right, well that is something. What's her name? Maya.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, Maya Henry.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, I gotta look that up. If you want to know more about quinceaneras, well, just show up to one uninvited, see how that goes.

[Chuck Bryant]

You know what? You'd probably be welcomed.

[Josh Clark]

Probably, Chuck. Probably. And since I said probably a couple times, it's time for listener mail.

[Chuck Bryant]

Hey guys. Longtime listener, card carrying member of the Stuff youf Should Know army. I've always wanted to write in but just hadn't found the right topic until the it Stranger Things script, retooling debate those during emojis. Stephen King is by far my favorite author and it is my absolute favorite of his novels. Highly recommend. Also a huge Stranger Things fan. Though I have no media experience, I do have an mba. Know a thing or two about marketing. For what it's worth, I side with Josh with the studio definitely retooling the script to create synergies between it and Stranger Things. Aside from casting the Stranger Things kid, which to me is a smoking gun, they changed the setting of the film to take place in the 80s. Like Stranger Things, in the novel, the story follows the main characters in the 50s and then again as adults in the 80s. There are elements of the story that didn't translate as well into the 80s in my opinion. But it was a small price to pay in order to captivate that Stranger Things audience. Just one guy's opinion, but I'd like to say one guy's informed opinion. Sorry, Chuck. For what it's worth, as a movie crush or as a movie buff, always catch movie crush. Keep it up, Mike Sanders. And Mike, I did a very simple Google search and found that Stranger Things was released in July 2016, and principal photography of it began about a week before that. Okay, so that's therefore rendering that impossible.

[Josh Clark]

Here's the thing. Movies have been known to change horses midstream. Right. I don't think that that settles it, if you ask me.

[Chuck Bryant]

So you think they shot a bunch of the movie in the 1950s and said, Wait a minute, this TV show over here is doing great.

[Josh Clark]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Chuck Bryant]

Let's go make it the 80s.

[Josh Clark]

No, I don't think.

[Chuck Bryant]

And let's recast this kid that we've already cast.

[Josh Clark]

I think I. I think that they're. I think that they did retool. I do.

[Chuck Bryant]

After they started shooting.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I don't think they did they. I don't think they were shooting in the 50s. I think they were probably shooting in the 80s. I think they really. My whole point has been that they played up the same things that Stranger Things was known for and that you would find in the book it. And that they plumped up that stuff because of Stranger Things. That's my assertion.

[Chuck Bryant]

So as they're shooting the film, it.

[Josh Clark]

They're doing rewrites.

[Chuck Bryant]

They're doing rewrites because they're like, man, we gotta lock into this TV show.

[Josh Clark]

Yes. And you can also do that in the editing booth, as you know as well, which would have happened long after Stranger Things was already a smash culture cultural phenomenon. All right, that's. I. I don't think it's settled, man.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay.

[Josh Clark]

And it never will be.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right?

[Josh Clark]

And until the editor tells me himself or herself that I'm just dead wrong. Okay, if you want to settle a bet, you can send us an email to stuff podcast how stuffworks.com and as always, join us at our home on the web StuffYou Should Know dot com.

[Jerry]

Stuff youf Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts My Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

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