Sweet sixteen (birthday)
Encyclopedia
A sweet sixteen party
is a type of birthday party in the United States
celebrating a sixteenth birthday
, Sweet sixteen parties mark a coming of age
.
, casual
, or semi-formal
. Sweet sixteens can range from modest parties at home with close family to large affairs with a hired DJ, makeup and hair stylists, yachts and hotel
ballroom
s. Large and formal sweet sixteens are featured prominently on MTV
's TV show, My Super Sweet Sixteen.
This ceremony is similar to the shoe ceremony, except the mother approaches with a tiara
instead of shoes. She places it on her daughters head to symbolize her becoming a woman. Sometimes this is combined with the shoe ceremony, so that two people approach the birthday girl, one with a pillow with high heels, and the other with a pillow with a tiara.
s or a projector
to show a video
montage set to music of the birthday girl containing pictures starting from when she was a baby and getting older, usually ending with pictures of her in her sweet sixteen dress
. This is either made by the DJ with photos provided from the family of the birthday girl, by the parents, or by a sibling. The guests can either sit down and watch this montage, or it could be playing in the background while the guests dance.
.
In Brazil, these events are called Baile de Debutante
s (as well as in other Latin American countries).
, girls and boys reach the age of spiritual maturity
at the age of 13 or 12 with a bat mitzvah for girls -celebrated at the age of 12- and a bar mitzvah for boys -celebrated at the age of 13-. It is very important in the Jewish culture. After the ceremony of the bar/bat mitzvah the person is considered an adult.
denominations, both girls and boys reach the age spiritual maturity at around the age of 13 or 14, with the Sacrament
of Confirmation.
When young Filipino
girls turn 18 they have a Début
.
China
At the age of 20, young Chinese women have a ceremony called Ji Li. Men have a ceremony called Guan Li
.
it is common to have a party celebrating the 18th birthday of both boys and girls, which is the legal coming of age.
Because of the above the 18th birthday is often celebrated without parents, with adult-themed presents.
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
is a type of birthday party in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
celebrating a sixteenth birthday
Birthday
A birthday is a day or anniversary where a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage. Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders , Christmas – which is celebrated widely by...
, Sweet sixteen parties mark a coming of age
Coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
.
Types of sweet sixteen party
A sweet sixteen, like a wedding, can be extremely formalFormal wear
Formal wear and formal dress are the general terms for clothing suitable for formal social events, such as a wedding, formal garden party or dinner, débutante cotillion, dance, or race...
, casual
Casual
In the European tradition, casual is the dress code that emphasizes comfort and personal expression over presentation and uniformity. It includes a very wide variety of costume, so it is perhaps better defined by what it isn't than what it is...
, or semi-formal
Semi-formal
In Western clothing semi-formal is a grouping of dress codes, indicating the sort of clothes worn to events with a level of protocol between informal and formal...
. Sweet sixteens can range from modest parties at home with close family to large affairs with a hired DJ, makeup and hair stylists, yachts and hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
ballroom
Ballroom
A ballroom is a large room inside a building, the designated purpose of which is holding formal dances called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions contain one or more ballrooms...
s. Large and formal sweet sixteens are featured prominently on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's TV show, My Super Sweet Sixteen.
Candle-lighting ceremony
Each of the 16 candles holds a special meaning- The first candle is for the boy's/girl's parents.
- The second candle is for the siblings. (If there are no siblings, then this candle can represent the grandparents.)
- Candles 3, 4, 5 and 6 are for the rest of the family members.
- Candles 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are for friends.
- Candle 15 is for the girl's best friend or friends.
- The 16th candle is for a significant male, such as a boyfriend or good friend.
- Some add a 17th candle which represents good luck
Shoe ceremony
For females the shoe ceremony is common at sweet sixteen parties, although they are more often seen in Quinceañeras. In this ceremony, the birthday girl sits down in a chair while her grandfather, uncle, godfather, or father approaches her with high heels on a decorative pillow. The girl would traditionally be wearing flat shoes, such as slippers, and the father ceremoniously helps her into her new high heels. This is symbolic of the girl transitioning into a woman.Tiara ceremony
For females:This ceremony is similar to the shoe ceremony, except the mother approaches with a tiara
Tiara
A tiara is a form of crown. There are two possible types of crown that this word can refer to.Traditionally, the word "tiara" refers to a high crown, often with the shape of a cylinder narrowed at its top, made of fabric or leather, and richly ornamented. It was used by the kings and emperors of...
instead of shoes. She places it on her daughters head to symbolize her becoming a woman. Sometimes this is combined with the shoe ceremony, so that two people approach the birthday girl, one with a pillow with high heels, and the other with a pillow with a tiara.
Father-daughter dance
The father-daughter dance is a tradition that is also frequently performed at weddings. The girl and her father dance to a slow-jazz song while everyone sits and watches. This is usually the first song of the night.Video montage
At high end sweet sixteens, a DJ often brings along several televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
s or a projector
Video projector
A video projector is an image projector that receives a video signal and projects the corresponding image on a projection screen using a lens system. All video projectors use a very bright light to project the image, and most modern ones can correct any curves, blurriness, and other...
to show a video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
montage set to music of the birthday girl containing pictures starting from when she was a baby and getting older, usually ending with pictures of her in her sweet sixteen dress
Dress
A dress is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment.Dress may also refer to:*Clothing in general*Costume, fancy dress...
. This is either made by the DJ with photos provided from the family of the birthday girl, by the parents, or by a sibling. The guests can either sit down and watch this montage, or it could be playing in the background while the guests dance.
Boys' sixteenth birthday party
Although the Sweet Sixteen party is usually for girls, some families try to do something similar for their sons too. They may throw huge parties with big birthday cakes, usually displaying the boys' interests.Latin American cultures
Many Latin American cultures celebrate a girl's fifteenth birthday with a QuinceañeraQuinceañera
Quinceañera , sometimes called "Fiesta de quince años", "Fiesta de Quinceañera", "Quince años" or simply "quince", is the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday in parts of Latin America and elsewhere in communities of immigrants from Latin America...
.
In Brazil, these events are called Baile de Debutante
Debutante
A débutante is 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 "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
s (as well as in other Latin American countries).
Jewish culture
In Reform and Conservative JudaismJudaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, girls and boys reach the age of spiritual maturity
Maturity (psychological)
Maturity is a psychological term used to indicate how a person responds to the circumstances or environment in an appropriate manner. This response is generally learned rather than instinctive, and is not determined by one's age...
at the age of 13 or 12 with a bat mitzvah for girls -celebrated at the age of 12- and a bar mitzvah for boys -celebrated at the age of 13-. It is very important in the Jewish culture. After the ceremony of the bar/bat mitzvah the person is considered an adult.
Christian culture
In many ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
denominations, both girls and boys reach the age spiritual maturity at around the age of 13 or 14, with the Sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
of Confirmation.
Asian culture
PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
When young Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
girls turn 18 they have a Début
Philippine Debut
The Philippine Debut is a cultural tradition of the Filipino people. It is a coming-of-age celebration for Philippine women that is somewhat reminiscent of the Latin American "Quinceañera" celebration. The difference between the Quinceanera and the Philippine Debut is the age at which the...
.
China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
At the age of 20, young Chinese women have a ceremony called Ji Li. Men have a ceremony called Guan Li
Guan Li
The Guan Li is the Confucian coming of age ceremony. The name Guan Li refers to the ceremony for men, while the Ji Li refers to the one for women.The age of the person is usually 20 and during the ceremony, the person obtains a style name...
.
Italy
In ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
it is common to have a party celebrating the 18th birthday of both boys and girls, which is the legal coming of age.
Poland
Eighteen is the age when a young person becomes an adult in Poland. That means he or she can start purchasing, among other things, alcohol and tobacco; and also may participate in gambling.Because of the above the 18th birthday is often celebrated without parents, with adult-themed presents.
UK
It is usual to have a party to celebrate becoming an adult when 18. This can be big or reasonably small.See also
- QuinceañeraQuinceañeraQuinceañera , sometimes called "Fiesta de quince años", "Fiesta de Quinceañera", "Quince años" or simply "quince", is the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday in parts of Latin America and elsewhere in communities of immigrants from Latin America...
- Confirmation
- Bat Mitzvah
- Age 16
- My Super Sweet 16My Super Sweet 16My Super Sweet 16 is an MTV reality series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States, Canada and UK, who usually have wealthy parents that throw huge coming of age celebrations. Parties include the quinceañera , the sweet 16, and other birthdays including a My Super Sweet 21 ...
- Teenager
- Philippine DebutPhilippine DebutThe Philippine Debut is a cultural tradition of the Filipino people. It is a coming-of-age celebration for Philippine women that is somewhat reminiscent of the Latin American "Quinceañera" celebration. The difference between the Quinceanera and the Philippine Debut is the age at which the...