BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Rosalba Casas, 72, finally celebrated her 15th birthday Friday, wearing the flowing pink quinceañera dress and tiara of her teenage dreams.
“Today is my happiest day because I’m celebrating my 15th birthday,” Casas said, adding that she had been up all night thinking about the big day.
It was her first time wearing professional make-up, a formal gown and riding in a limousine, joining 28 other older women selected by the Sueños Hechos (Dreams Come True) Foundation for a belated birthday celebration.
Quinceañera is A time-honoured tradition In Latin America, when a girl turns 15, there is often a lavish celebration to mark her transition into adulthood. But for the 29 women honored at the party, most of them grandmothers, a difficult childhood put any celebration out of reach.
They rode a limousine through the streets of northwestern Bogota to loud music, leaning out from the open roof of the car and waving excitedly to passersby, recording on their cellphones.
“I had never been in a car like that before. I had only seen it in pictures, but I never imagined I would be in one,” Casas said. “I blew everyone a kiss,” she added with a laugh.
Deep inequality causes many Colombians to miss out on a rite of passage
Casas said she never received a greeting on her 15th birthday. It was just another day at work for her, working as a domestic worker in a wealthy Bogotá home where her mother also worked.
Maria Isabel Carmona, 71, had a similar story. She recalled her 15th birthday party as a special breakfast of hot chocolate and fried eggs.
“My mother was very poor. We had a lot of children and lived in a small town. There was no way to celebrate,” Carmona said as she got her make-up done at a beauty academy that donated its services to belated quinceañeras.
Although it’s a very common tradition in Colombia, not every family can afford to host such a party in a country where the government estimates that 31 percent of the population lives in poverty. The World Bank ranks the country as one of the most unequal countries in Latin America.
The 29 women descended from a limousine onto a red carpet leading to the community center, where uniformed police officers raised their sabers to form an honor guard for the quinceañeras.
An emotional quinceañera song played in the background. “It’s already been 15 years, and that can’t happen… Please, don’t grow up already.”
The women then changed their shoes to sneakers (which were a little more comfortable for their age) and were invited to dance a waltz, first with the police, then with their husbands, sons and grandchildren.
The project started with underprivileged girls.
Freddy Alfonso Páez, president of the Sueños Hechos Foundation and a former police officer, founded the organization five years ago with his two brothers, who started offering 15th birthday parties. underprivileged girls years ago.
The project expanded to include older women as organizers thought about those who had never had a traditional celebration when they were younger, such as Ms. Paes’ own mother.
Paez said the group has been hosting quinceañera parties for older women for the past five years, and 128 people have celebrated so far.
The Sueños Hecos Foundation hosts this event each year with the help of sponsors who donate limousines, food and dresses. Police will also be providing support, with police officers serving as bodyguards for the guest of honor.
The 29 women, aged between 60 and 85, who took part in Friday’s celebration were selected through an open call on social media.
“Many people have health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, leg and back pain, but when the party starts, they forget about all that and just enjoy themselves,” Paes says.
