‘Quinceañera’ is a time-honored Mexican ritual with Catholic roots

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

Medari Fonseca just turned 15, but the planning for the Covington High School freshman’s “quinceañera” celebration started many years ago.

Clarion Herald video of the "Quinceañera"

Medari and her parents, Aurelio and Maria Fonseca, dreamed about the day she would present herself to God, her family and friends in the traditional Mexican Catholic ceremony.

At the Mass, celebrated Sept. 25 at the Teresian Sisters’ convent chapel in Covington, Medari pledged herself to follow a spiritual  path into adulthood, using the Blessed Mother as a guide.

She received a ring, a tiara, a rosary and a Bible from Father Alex Guzman as a sign of her commitment to the faith. Then, at her formal reception with family and friends after Mass, Medari got some styling assistance from one of her Covington High classmates, Kallan Connolly.

Before her first dance, Medari’s father removed the flat shoes his daughter had been wearing – a sign of her childhood years – and replaced them with high heels to symbolize her transition to womanhood.

Medari also passed on one of her favorite childhood dolls to a younger girl.    

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