Mickey and quinceaneras

IN MANY LATINO families, the quinceanera plays out like “Cinderella.” A 15-year-old girl, dressed in a gown and tiara, arrives at the ball in flats. She changes into heels to symbolize that she has become a woman.

So it only makes sense to throw the shindig in front of the official Cinderella Castle facade, right? Executives at Disney think so. Last week, the company announced that it would begin selling quinceanera vacation packages to Disney World in Florida. For $1,800 and up, “A Reflection of You” lets girls “enjoy decadent desserts” by the light of Epcot’s fireworks. The $20,000-plus “Belle of the Ball” promises “floor-length linens pixie-dusted with organza” that “will make ... guests feel like they are in a true royal gathering.”

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Disney’s offering is that it isn’t remarkable at all. What was once the country’s most quintessentially Main Street U.S.A. cultural institution has embraced this quintessentially Latino tradition with little visible effort or public notice.

Like Jewish bar and bat mitzvahs, the quinceanera is a traditional family rite of passage that has managed to remain a cultural touchstone, even as young Latinas blend into U.S. society. (Or perhaps because they blend. What is more American than flaunting your status with a raging party?) According to the publisher of Quince Girl magazine -- one of several new bridal magazine-style publications that cater to young women planning their quinceaneras -- Americans will spend more than $400 million on the parties in 2007.

Businesses are seizing the opportunity. Mattel came out with Quinceanera Barbie in 2001. In 2004, the Wall Street Journal reported that Royal Caribbean cruises, JC Penney, Wal-Mart and Hallmark also hawked special products for quinceaneras. Disneyland in Anaheim began quietly selling quinceanera packages a few years back, and the parties reportedly became the fastest-growing segment of the resort’s event business after weddings.

Now, Disneyland says, it will publicize its offerings more aggressively. After all, there is more than one way to be the Happiest Place on Earth.