A quincenera (pronounced "kin-sin-yera") is a special celebration held for many girls in Spanish-speaking communities of the United States and in Latin America on their fifteenth birthday. The celebration may be different in different countries. The word quincenera can refer to the celebration or to the girl. This birthday is specail because it celebrates that a girl is not a child any more and has become a woman. It is a very important day for many young girls, a day they dream about for a long time. Everyone who knows the girl will celebrate it with a church ceremony and a big party.