A quinceañera may traditionally give a younger girl a last doll as a symbol of leaving childhood behind.
The doll ceremony is often called the last doll tradition. The celebrant presents or passes the doll to a younger sister, cousin, or another child, representing the end of the celebrant’s own childhood stage and the younger child’s continuing connection with it.
This custom is separate from the religious service, the court of honor, and the changing of shoes. Not every family includes all of these elements, and the doll may be replaced by another childhood symbol in modern celebrations.
The ritual is sometimes misunderstood as a required religious practice. It is better understood as a cultural and family custom whose details differ by community. Its meaning is symbolic, not legal: receiving or giving a doll does not change a person’s legal status.