Culture | Lesson 21 La Quinceañera _LEVEL 8_
Culture Lesson 21: “La Quinceañera” (Mexico)
Thematic cake for the celebration of a girl’s 15 th birthday
http://momsla.com/quinceanera-101-verizon-my-fabulous-quince-contest/
Activity 1 | Vocabulary and Expressions
Directions: Listen and repeat.

herald [ˈhɛrəld] – to signal the coming of; to be a sign of

precocious [prɪˈkəʊʃəs] – manifesting or characterized by development or interests
considered advanced for a given age

conservative [kənˈsɜːvətɪv] – favoring traditional views and values; opposing change.

liberal [ˈlɪbərəl] – open to new ideas, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others

digress [daɪˈɡrɛs] – to stray temporarily from the main subject in writing or speaking

pastel [ˈpæstəl] – pale and soft in color.

keepsake [ˈkiːpˌseɪk] – something that one keeps because of the memories it calls to mind

enduring [ɪnˈdjʊərɪŋ] – lasting, continuing, durable
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Culture | Lesson 21 La Quinceañera _LEVEL 8_
Activity 2 | Dialogue
Directions: Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.
Karina is explaining some Mexican traditions to her American friend.
Karina:
Would you like to come with me to the mall? I have to buy some gifts for my sister. Her 15 th
birthday is coming soon and it’s a huge event for us.
Michelle: Really? It’s similar in our culture too. People usually place a lot of importance on the 16 th
birthday.
Karina:
Ah yes, I think I know about that. It’s the same as our celebration, La Quinceañera. It heralds
a girl’s transition to adulthood. Traditionally, it marked the first time that the girl wore make -up
and jewelry.
Michelle: Nowadays, children are quite precocious. I doubt that girls don’t try wearing make-up by age
15.
Karina:
Yes. Parents are not as conservative nowadays as well. They’re more liberal and they give
more freedom to their children. Anyway, let’s not digress. So, can you help me with the gifts?
Michelle:
Sure! Do you have a clear picture of what you need?
Karina:
She likes pastel colors, so I will buy some light-colored clothes. I will buy a small doll as well.
Dad must give it to her as part of the ceremony. This is an old Mayan tradition that signifies the
young girl giving up her dolls once she matures.
Michelle: I find it ironic to say that you’ll throw away that doll, when you’ve received it as part of an
important ceremony and would rather have it as a keepsake.
Karina:
You’re right. I never thought of this before!
Michelle: Well, I hope your sister will have the time of her life and that the memory of this celebration
will be an enduring one.
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Culture | Lesson 21 La Quinceañera _LEVEL 8_
Activity 3 | Filling the Blanks
Directions: Fill in the blanks below to complete the sentences.
1. I don’t like his speech at all – he keeps
2. This man is known in history for his
from the main topic!
views at a time when society was not open to reform.
3. The development of computer technology also
a new era in the movie-making industry, as it
provided a new, important tool – computer graphics.
4. As a child he proved to be
5. She soon developed an
6. I love this painting in
, so his parents signed him up for various extra-curricular activities.
affection for her step-mother, contrary to everyone’s expectations.
colors!
7. This is one of my most beloved
8. His
!
opinions are not welcome in our team.
pastel
enduring
conservative
keepsake
herald
precocious
digress
liberal
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Culture | Lesson 21 La Quinceañera _LEVEL 8_
Activity 4 | Understanding the Vocabulary
Directions: Choose at least 2 pairs from the following words and make sentences with them:
“precocious”, ”liberal”, ”conservative”, ”digress”, ”enduring”, ”keepsake”.
Examples: Your essay on precocious children is very interesting, but you tend to digress a little too
much.
This book, titled “Enduring Hardships”, is an important keepsake of mine.
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Culture | Lesson 21 La Quinceañera _LEVEL 8_
Activity 5 | Free Conversation
Directions: Take turns with your teacher in answering the questions
1. What do you think about this type of celebration?
2. Do you have any similar celebrations in your country? Can you describe some customs?
3. How was your coming-of-age ceremony?
4. Why do you think it is important to celebrate the transition to adulthood?
5. What is expected of young people once they’ve supposedly transitioned to adulthood?
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