In Spanish-speaking cultures, they celebrate young women turning 15, which is sort of like the equivalent of a "sweet 16" here is the US and other places.

Good luck!

-Dan

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Note added at 2003-08-17 04:22:34 (GMT)
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Whoa, a few too many answers saying almost the exact same thing in pretty much equivalent words. I just took a look down the page. People, I hate to preach rules, basically because it makes me rather like a hypocrite, but in this instance I feel I must say: If the answer that you would post is already proposed by somebody, please don\'t post the same thing and consider it different because your explanation is different by 2 or 3 words. I mean really. C\'mon. Sometimes we miss the answer because it appears as we\'re already typing ours, but all of these can\'t be the same mistake. So have courtesy and don\'t pack the page with more answers than are needed. Just type your \"change\" into agree box or something. Thanks to all.
-Dan

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Note added at 2003-08-17 15:42:07 (GMT)
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By the way, I want to clear something: this contains no hard feelings to anyone. I just wanted to point out how there are 5 or 6 answers on this page in 12 answer boxes. I know that no actual rules are being broken. You know, just an observation. And to those to whom I asked to see the above comment: I didn\'t mean that you necessarily copied my answer. I know that nobody had the intenton of \"copying\" anybody. I just mean that somebody, be it I or another, had already proposed a very, very similar answer, and I wanted to draw your attention to my point. That\'s all. Again, no hard feelings. Nothing personal. Good luck to all.
-Dan

Quincenanera
... The Quinceañera (15 year-old party) Formal or informal, the 15th birthday celebration
is centered around the Quinceañera, it is her night to shine. Read More. ...
city.netmio.com/quinceanera/ 1,2025,ID182-LGen-CI3,00.html - 21k - Cached - Similar pages



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Note added at 2003-08-16 15:18:15 (GMT)
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Alternatively,

COMMING-OF-AGE PARTY should do

Yahoo! Groups : 50sFashion Messages : Message 958 of 1210
... Whatever it is, it encourages women to dress up most delectably! >>
Quinceanera is a comming of age party for a 15 year old girl. ...
groups.yahoo.com/group/50sFashion/message/958?source=1 - 14k - Cached - Similar pages



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Note added at 2003-08-16 15:30:43 (GMT)
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sorry

COMING OF AGE
(una sola M)

dèbut
Formal introduction into society, a teenage girl making her first appearance at adult parties and social gatherings especially in Great Briain,

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Note added at 2003-08-16 16:26:46 (GMT)
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debutante ball -in the US as Miguel well points out.

That is the name given to the party when a girl (Quinceañera) is turning 15


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Note added at 2003-08-16 15:59:13 (GMT)
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You say \"Un quinceañero\" refering to the party or \"una fiesta para una Quinceañera\"



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Note added at 2003-08-16 16:36:12 (GMT)
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A ver si nos entendemos......Quinceañero is a boy and Quinceañera is a girl, but when it refers to a party it is called \"un Quinceañero\"... por ejemplo, decimos.... \"vamos al Quinceañero de Marta\", no \"vamos al Quinceañera de Marta\".... a eso es a lo que me refiero. La pregunta es \"Fiesta de quince años\" y en tanto en Puerto Rico como en Venezuela es \"un quinceañero\".


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Note added at 2003-08-17 14:47:46 (GMT)
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I THINK WE ARE FORGETTING SOMETHING HERE.......PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF SAYING THINGS....... BUT LA REAL ACADEMIA ESPANOLA ARE THE ONES WHO SET THE RULES :) THANK YOU!

It is not a particularly Catholic reception; it is rather a social event, marking the girl's presentation to society.

This has perhaps something to do with Catholic "CONFIRMATION" party( fiesta de la confirmación). I don't know exactly at which age they celebrate it, but I'm sure that somebody at 15 cannot be thrown to the society jungle without severe dammages ( for both the 15 guy and society...)

Spanish term (edited): fiesta de quince a�os

This looks like a really hard one to crack. I think anything that suggests sixteen would be thoroughly misleading especially if someone particular is mentioned.
Perhaps my answer would help you get round the problem.
HTH

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Note added at 1 hr 30 mins (2003-08-16 16:29:01 GMT)
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not party but celebration or even ceremony

Spanish term (edited): fiesta de quince a�os

If you don't want to use the term "quinceanera" yoy may just explain what it is.

This coming-of-age occasion has its origins in pre-Cortesian Mayan and Toltec ceremonies, not in Catholic rituals or in the imitation of upper-class European debutaante parties.

1. This is how it is (very easily) said in UK IF it's about a birthday party, BUT...

2. If it's an anniversary (something to do with the church?), it would be "fifteenth anniversary party/celebration".

I believe more context would have helped.

Spanish term (edited): fiesta de quince a�os

definitely not sixteen. We just had a number of articles in the English language newspaper of Orlando FL and the Quinceanera was left as is.

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Note added at 11 hrs 22 mins (2003-08-17 02:20:54 GMT)
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corr. tilda on the N