Cincuentanera...50 is the new 15...?

Question

I turn 50 on December 21. I've never had a major party about myself: never married so no wedding, never pregnant so no baby shower, and my graduation celebrations were very small. So I want to have a Cincuentanera, which would be the 50-year-old's equivalent of a Quinceanera (or Quincenera), the big party which a Latina girl has on her 15th birthday.

I'd like suggestions: themes, dress styles (girlish or matronly), quinceanera traditions adapted for the 50-year-old, and so forth. I might also be a Quinceanera/Cincuentanera for Halloween, which is before my birthday. So, what are your ideas? Also, since my birthday is so close to Christmas, should I postpone the party till early or mid-January?

50 is the new 15!

Answer 1

I was working single in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia when my boss invited me to dinner. I mentioned it was my 50th and secretly his wife sent out for a cake and some geriatric tablets and a silver bowl as presents. So for dessert, I had a cake an the presents, which I was not expecting.

Saudi is a miserable place for a single man, but having nice people made the difference. So for you: it is the people, not the location or format of the celebration.