Fifteen Candles

It'

s the type of birthday party a little girl dreams about: she is decked out in a flowing gown and attended by a court that presents her with gifts. For thousands of Latina teens in the U.S., that is no fantasy. It's a coming-of-age rite known as a quinceanera, a celebration held to mark a girl's 15th birthday (quince means 15).

The affairs can be as lavish as any wedding. Quinceaneras usually begin with a Roman Catholic Mass, followed by a reception in which the girl dances a waltz with her father and performs a dance with her court. All told, a typical party costs about $10,000 for gowns, DJ, banquet hall, limos and food.

Quinceanera festivities, which have roots in Aztec and Catholic traditions, have been around Latin America for centuries, but as the number of Latinos in the U.S. has grown (there are currently more than 35 million), such celebrations have become more commercial and more mainstream. Wal-Mart now stocks budget quinceanera gowns in 200 stores in 30 states, and the David's Bridal chain has dresses made exclusively for the market. Royal Caribbean offers seven-day quinceanera cruises out of Miami (at $850 to $1,200 a head), which are booked solid into next year. This fall the company will offer cruises from Orlando, Fla., and Bayonne, N.J.

And the gatherings are spreading outside the Catholic Latino community. Stephen Everett, a pastor at the nondenominational Present Truth Ministries in Cape Coral, Fla., now officiates at the ceremonies at the behest of Latino congregants. Quinceanera planners report that courts increasingly consist of multi-ethnic lineups. So even if you're not Latino, an invitation for your teenager may be in the mail.

With Latina girls dropping out of school at high rates, some critics wonder whether parents should put emphasis on such opulent revelry and are trying to modify the tradition. "We deemphasize the big party," says Graciela Fonseca, who oversees Stay-in-School Quinceanera, a program at the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho that helps kids finish school. For most participants, however, the event is about much more than the trappings. "It's an opportunity to express your maturity and be thankful," says Marlowe Veloz, a Miami teen who just celebrated her quince aboard a cruise. "Every girl should have that, whether she's Hispanic or not."