Lavish quinceaneras reflect growing economic clout of Hispanics

[SorcererMickey]

Lavish quinceaneras reflect growing economic clout of Hispanics
September 17, 2007 - Posted at 12:00 a.m.
ADVOCATE STAFF REPORT

The rising trend of elaborate and expensive quinceaneras is not only a sign of the blinged-out party craze embraced by teens weaned on MTV's "My Super Sweet 16," but also of the growing economic clout of U.S. Hispanics.
The buying power of Hispanics in the United States is about $838 billion and is expected to reach more than $1.3 trillion by 2011, according to a May report by the investment banking firm The Mercanti Group.

The report singles out the rising cost of quinces as a significant benchmark. The national average for a quince is between $5,000 and $10,000, with a guest list of about 200.

Even the Walt Disney company has taken note of Hispanics' increasing spending power, launching a new package at Walt Disney World geared at quinceanera parties. Price tags range anywhere from $1,800 to $20,000 and packages add Disney's fairytale touches to the coming-of-age celebration.

Source: http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/233/story/122835.html

[OKWTink]

Oh wow! Some lucky young women are going to have amazing parties. :yes:

[Tinker]

Without checking the link , is this what we consider the Sweet Sixteen parties as opposed to the Fifteen year party for Hispanics ? I attended one here in our hometwon a few years back for a friend, Natalee' and my goodness, it was like a wedding . So beautiful !
I saw a young Hispanic girl, dressed as a princess in a gorgous Cinderella blue gown in front of the castle at the MK . She also was wearing a tiara . I asked if she was celebrating her fifteenth birthday and she said, yes . She was so beautiful and I told her so . I took her picture , but it did not come out well due to heavy sunlight . :tears:
yup, I was right, excellent idea . Kudos to WDW !!! :thumbs:

[SorcererMickey]

is this what we consider the Sweet Sixteen parties as opposed to the Fifteen year party for the Hispanics

That's exactly it :yes:

Both Sweet Sixteen and "Quinceaneras" evolved from the Debutant or "Debutante"

Wikipedia - "a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal presentation known as her "debut" or "coming out". Originally, it meant the young woman was eligible for marriage, and part of the purpose was to display her to eligible bachelors and their families with a view to marriage within a select upper class circle. This traditional event varies by region, but is typically referred to as a debutante ball."

Below is more information on the "Debutante" traditions around the world.

Wikipedia - Debutante (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debutante)