Sweet Sixteen Birthday Tradition

Traditions and small rituals for the sweet sixteen birthdays include the father-daughter dance, changing of the shoes, the tiara ritual and the candle lighting ceremony.

The sweet sixteen party like a wedding is an American tradition to commemorate the passage from girl to woman, celebrated in the U.S. and Canada with anything from a casual party at home to an elaborate ball. Every family marks the sixteenth birthday with a different style, but the following ideas are a few of the most popular traditions that play a role in the sweet sixteen celebration.

Candle Lighting Ceremony

The candle-lighting ceremony is an old favorite that is seen in many coming of age traditions. It gives the child who is coming of age a chance to thank those who have played a major role in her or his life. At a sweet sixteen, there may be sixteen or seventeen candles (the last one for good luck). The first candle is lit by the girl's parents, and the second by siblings, if she has any. Traditionally, the next four candles are for other family members, and candles seven through sixteen are for friends. The fifteenth candle may be reserved for the girl's best friend and the sixteenth for her boyfriend or best male friend. The seventeenth candle, if she has one, is lit by the girl herself.

Shoe Changing Ceremony

The shoe ceremony is a great idea for a girl who wants to honor the bond with her father or the relationship between her and her grandfather. The sweet sixteen girl sits on a chair in the center of her guests while her father or grandfather brings a pair of high heeled shoes and ritually changes them for the flat shoes or slippers that she was wearing.

The heels are used as a symbol of transition into womanhood during the quince anos or fifteenth birthday coming of age celebrated by girls in the Hispanic community.

Tiara Ceremony

The tiara ceremony is very similar to the shoe ceremony, but uses a sparkling crown or tiara in place of the high heeled shoes. Some families do both rituals simultaneously, with a girl's grandfather bringing either the shoes or the tiara on a pillow while her father carries the other.

Father Daughter Dance

The father-daughter dance is a tradition that is also seen at weddings, where the bride's father hands her off ritualistically to the groom, her new husband. At a sweet sixteen, the father-daughter dance marks the change in a girl's relationship with her parents as she grows up and becomes an adult and less in need of their guidance and care.

Any or all of these traditions can be used to make the sweet sixteen birthday special and to signify the importance of a teen's growth into an adult.

Although the Sweet Sixteen party is usually for girls, some families try to do something similar for their sons too. They may throw huge parties with big birthday cakes, usually displaying the boys' interests.