Sweet sixteen (birthday)
A sweet sixteen is a coming of age party celebrating a person's sixteenth birthday in North America, primarily in the United States and Canada.
Information
A sweet sixteen party is a type of party in the United States celebrating a sixteenth birthday, Sweet sixteen parties mark a coming of age. A sweet sixteen, like a wedding, can be extremely formal, casual, or semi-formal. Sweet sixteens can range from modest parties at home with close family to large affairs with a hired DJ, makeup, hair stylists, yachts, expensive gowns and dresses, and hotel ballrooms.
Other cultural events
Hispanic
Many Latin American cultures celebrate a girl's fifteenth birthday with a Quinceañera.
Christianity
In many Christian denominations, both girls and boys reach the age spiritual maturity at around the age of 13 or 14, with the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Judaism
After Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13 boys bear their own responsibility for their actions and cultivating the Jewish tradition. They become responsible in the face of religious law and their parents are no longer accountable for their sins. In Orthodox communities, a Bat Mitzvah is celebrated when a girl reaches the age of 12.