Quinceañera costs rising, Mexico City hosts a free party
Some 300 girls shared in one rite-of-passage party Saturday, which donors made possible.
from the April 28, 2008 edition
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Reporter Sara Miller Llana talks about a quinceanera for 300 girls in Mexico City funded entirely by donors.
In a culture where the notion of charity is not a strong undercurrent, says Mr. Hidalgo, this event is unique in that it is paid for entirely by donations; the city doesn't budget for it. This year, volunteers came to help tailor dresses, teach waltz steps, and apply mascara and eye shadow. In lieu of traditional carriages, red, double-decker tour buses transported girls from the Youth Institute to the Zocalo.
Some 200 dresses, which cost at least $150 each in a country where the minimum wage is under $5 a day, were donated by a group of store owners who specialize in the quinceañera. Some were even donated by legislators.
"This is a way to give a little help to girls with few resources," says Sergio Ramirez, who sells dresses at his store, Palace of the Quinceañera. His dresses cost an average of $400. This year he donated 12.
The girls beamed in them. In a bright yellow, strapless dress, Elisa Berenise says she never expected so many people to come out and see them dance the waltz, as she looks at the giant screen televisions showing those farther back in the crowd. "I feel so happy," she says. "I can't believe it."
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