In quinceañera terminology, the female celebrant of the fifteenth-birthday celebration is called a quinceañera.
The word is derived from Spanish and is the feminine form associated with a girl or young woman reaching fifteen. In everyday usage, particularly in English, “quinceañera” can also refer to the party or celebration itself.
A typical celebration may include a formal dress, a ceremony, a court of attendants, a meal, music, and dancing. None of these individual elements is required in every family; the event may be religious, secular, elaborate, or modest.
The related masculine term is “quinceañero,” although terminology and customs vary across communities. The word “dama” instead refers to a female member of the celebrant’s court, while “madrina” generally identifies a female sponsor or godmother.