The traditional Spanish term for the celebration of a girl’s fifteenth birthday is quinceañera.
Quinceañera comes from quince, meaning fifteen, and is used in Spanish for the honoree as well as for the event in many contexts. English-language usage commonly uses the same word for the party, while quince años, literally “fifteen years,” is another familiar expression for the celebration.
The term should not be confused with bautizo, which means baptism, or graduación, which means graduation. Quinceañeras may include religious elements, but the word itself identifies the birthday tradition rather than a particular sacrament.
The spelling includes the letter ñ. English speakers may also see quinceanera written without the diacritic, especially in informal text, but quinceañera is the standard Spanish spelling. The event’s details differ widely, including whether it features a mass, a formal court, or a choreographed dance.