The Quinceañera: Towards an Individualization of the Fifteenth Birthday Celebration for Young Peruvian Girls

Robin Cavagnoud (1)

1 IFEA - Institut Français d'Etudes Andines

For young Peruvian girls, the celebration of the fifteenth birthday is a seminal event culturally meaning the end of childhood. In its traditional staging, mainly among popular classes, the role of nuclear and extended family is fundamental. This rite of passage announces marriage and marks the introduction into womanhood. On the contrary, its contemporary forms put emphasis on peers' participation to the detriment of family and relatives. Current recreations of this celebration, particularly through juvenile parties, trips abroad and plastic surgery, highlight a greater individualization in the girls' projects, socialization and in their relation to the body.

Mots clés: Childhood; Rite of Passage; Gender; Family; Individual; Youth; Peru

Domaines: Sociologie

Robin Cavagnoud. The Quinceañera: Towards an Individualization of the Fifteenth Birthday Celebration for Young Peruvian Girls. AnthropoChildren, 2013, pp.1-17. ⟨halshs-01002979⟩