A traditional quinceañera celebrates a girl's 15th birthday.
The word quinceañera refers both to the celebrant and to the birthday celebration, depending on context. The event is especially associated with Latin American communities and marks an important transition in a young person's life.
The celebration commonly combines a religious service, a formal reception, music, food, dancing, and symbolic rituals. Customs vary substantially by family, country, religion, and generation, so not every quinceañera includes the same program.
The milestone is sometimes compared with a debut or coming-of-age ceremony, but it is not identical to a legal age of adulthood. In many countries, adulthood begins at a different age, and the quinceañera itself does not change a person's legal status.