(
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
for "the last doll") is a tradition of the ''
Quinceañera
In Mexico, Mexican and other Latin American cultures, it is customary to celebrate a girl's 15th birthday. In Spanish language, Spanish, the girl celebrating her 15th birthday is called a ; in English language, English, primarily in the Unite ...
'', the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday in parts of
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
. During this ritual, the relinquishes a doll from her childhood to signify that she is no longer in need of such a toy, often giving it to a younger female relative. The ritual could also suggest that she is now capable of being a mother.
[''Girl Culture: an Encyclopedia''. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008. . P.495] The is a person designated to "present her to society" and is usually the one to give her the as well. The birthday girl will then dance with the
doll
A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...
as part of the ceremony. Some of the dolls used in the ceremony are made in a very elegant manner, using ceramic or
porcelain
Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...
and are hand painted. These collector’s dolls are highly sought on the collector’s market.
References
Traditional dolls
{{Doll-stub