Sweet 16 Parties - Features and Traditions You Don"t Want to Miss
A sweet sixteen can be a monumental event in anyone's family.
In the United States especially, it is often celebrated like a wedding, with a huge, elegant party at a catering hall that can be extremely formal.
It can be semi-formal or casual as well.
Sweet sixteen parties can range from modest parties at home with just the close family to large affairs with a hired DJ, makeup and hair stylists, yachts, hotel ballrooms, or fancy reception halls.
All have one thing in common: a total focus on a particular young girl who is celebrating her 16th birthday.
There are several traditions that are perpetuated at almost all sweet sixteen birthday celebrations.
The first one is the candle-lighting ceremony, in which the birthday girl lights 16 candles.
Each candle holds a special meaning: The first candle is for the 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.
Sometimes there is a 17th candle which represents good luck.
The shoe ceremony is another tradition at sweet sixteen parties, although they are more often seen in Latin cultures (who celebrate Quinceañeras, age 15 instead of 16).
In this ceremony, the birthday girl is approached by her grandfather, uncle, godfather, or father with high heels on a decorative pillow.
The girl, who is sitting down and wearing flat shoes such as slippers, would traditionally be helped into her new high heels.
This ceremony symbolically transitions the girl into a woman.
The tiara ceremony is similar to the shoe ceremony, except this time it is the mother who approaches the girl.
She places a tiara on her daughters head to symbolize her becoming a woman.
Sometimes both the shoe and the tiara ceremonies are performed together, so that two people approach the birthday girl at the same time, one with a pillow with high heels, and the other with a pillow with a tiara.
Similar to the tradition seen at weddings, the father-daughter dance is an important feature.
Usually the first song of the night, the girl and her father dance to a slow, meaningful song while everyone sits and watches, misty-eyed.
Then the rest of the party joins in.
In a more recent tradition, especially at high-end celebrations, a large projector screen is set up to show a video montage, with music in the background, of different photos or videos taken of the birthday girl starting from when she was a baby and in chronological older, usually ending with photos or videos of her in the present day, ending with pictures of her in her sweet sixteen dress.
This video montage can be displayed at different times during the event and usually consists of photos contributed by family members and friends.
As reference is mostly made to girls who are turning 16, some families try to celebrate the 16th birthday for their boys too.
Huge parties with big birthday cakes, usually displaying the boys' interests, will also be held, with lots of relatives and friends in attendance to commemorate this special year in a young man's life.
In the United States especially, it is often celebrated like a wedding, with a huge, elegant party at a catering hall that can be extremely formal.
It can be semi-formal or casual as well.
Sweet sixteen parties can range from modest parties at home with just the close family to large affairs with a hired DJ, makeup and hair stylists, yachts, hotel ballrooms, or fancy reception halls.
All have one thing in common: a total focus on a particular young girl who is celebrating her 16th birthday.
There are several traditions that are perpetuated at almost all sweet sixteen birthday celebrations.
The first one is the candle-lighting ceremony, in which the birthday girl lights 16 candles.
Each candle holds a special meaning: The first candle is for the 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.
Sometimes there is a 17th candle which represents good luck.
The shoe ceremony is another tradition at sweet sixteen parties, although they are more often seen in Latin cultures (who celebrate Quinceañeras, age 15 instead of 16).
In this ceremony, the birthday girl is approached by her grandfather, uncle, godfather, or father with high heels on a decorative pillow.
The girl, who is sitting down and wearing flat shoes such as slippers, would traditionally be helped into her new high heels.
This ceremony symbolically transitions the girl into a woman.
The tiara ceremony is similar to the shoe ceremony, except this time it is the mother who approaches the girl.
She places a tiara on her daughters head to symbolize her becoming a woman.
Sometimes both the shoe and the tiara ceremonies are performed together, so that two people approach the birthday girl at the same time, one with a pillow with high heels, and the other with a pillow with a tiara.
Similar to the tradition seen at weddings, the father-daughter dance is an important feature.
Usually the first song of the night, the girl and her father dance to a slow, meaningful song while everyone sits and watches, misty-eyed.
Then the rest of the party joins in.
In a more recent tradition, especially at high-end celebrations, a large projector screen is set up to show a video montage, with music in the background, of different photos or videos taken of the birthday girl starting from when she was a baby and in chronological older, usually ending with photos or videos of her in the present day, ending with pictures of her in her sweet sixteen dress.
This video montage can be displayed at different times during the event and usually consists of photos contributed by family members and friends.
As reference is mostly made to girls who are turning 16, some families try to celebrate the 16th birthday for their boys too.
Huge parties with big birthday cakes, usually displaying the boys' interests, will also be held, with lots of relatives and friends in attendance to commemorate this special year in a young man's life.
Source...