Summary
The nervous young woman sits solemnly in her family's kitchen as her big sister styles her long hair so large, soft curls are piled high on her head. The family is running around the house, where a large Dominican Republic flag covers a dining room wall. Everyone is bantering in English and Spanish, getting ready for the big event.
Melissa Champagne, a 15-year-old Wilbur Cross High School honor student, is getting more than a new hairstyle. She is becoming a woman, in the eyes of her family and her Hispanic culture.See the full content of this document
Extract
Rite of Passage
Champagne, her family and her friends are preparing for her "quinceanera," the Hispanic equivalent of a "sweet 16" party or a Jewish bat mitzhah. In Hispanic culture, the quinceanera, the day when a young lady turns 15, symbolizes the transition of a girl into womanhood. In New Haven, this celebration is very much alive.
In just a few hou...See the full content of this document
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