A young woman dressed in a white blouse and voluminous pink skirt is seated in the center aisle before the altar. She will be the focus of attention throughout the day from the early morning mass to the day long party that follows.
The fiesta de quince años (also fiesta de quinceañera, quince años and quince) is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday. It has its cultural roots in Mesoamerica and is widely celebrated today throughout the Americas. The girl celebrating her 15th birthday is a quinceañera (Spanish pronunciation: [kinseaˈɲeɾa]; feminine form of "15-year-old"). In Spanish, and in Latin countries, the term quinceañera is reserved solely for the girl. (Wikipedia)
The celebrations of Dia de Muertos do not overshadow other important events. Weddings and coming-of-age rites are commonplace in the churches and colorful fiesta parades in the streets are seen all over the Oaxaca region.
