The childhood symbol traditionally presented or discarded during some quinceañera celebrations is a last doll.
The last doll represents the celebrant’s childhood. In a common version of the ritual, a parent gives her a doll dressed in a style similar to her own quinceañera outfit. The symbolic handoff suggests that childhood is ending as she takes on greater maturity.
Other families use a favorite childhood toy, a bouquet, or another personal object instead. The practice is not universal and does not have one prescribed religious meaning. Its details vary by region, family, and generation.
The doll tradition is sometimes confused with the quinceañera’s ceremonial bouquet or with the changing of shoes. These are separate customs, although all can appear in the same celebration and all use objects to express the transition associated with age 15.