I never had a quinces but I did dance in a couple and attended way more than I can count! The old style traditional Quinces were preceeded by a special Mass, but i've never actually known anyone to do that. Of course I'm speaking only from experience with Cuban, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. Other Latin and South Americans may do it differently.
I've never heard of the virginity promise ring! I have a feeliing thats just a special thing they threw in there. After all it is expected a good Hispanic, Catholic girl would remain so until her wedding night, so why is there even a need for that?

I HAD A QUINCEANERA!

Oh my gosh, all of my friends and I had quince's. Every weekend freshman year of high school we were always at quinceañeras. When I think of high school, I think of quinceañeras.

My quinceañra was a bit different than most. My sister and I are 11 months apart, so rather than spending so much money twice within a year, my parents decided to have one quinceañera for us both, mid-way between our birthdays (I was 15 1/2 and my sister was 14 1/2). All of my family and friends were there. We rehearsed beginning a few months beforehand for our presentation dance. It was a 9 minute long potpourri (a few songs mixed into one long song). It took a little over a year to plan my quinceañera, but the day of my quinceañera went by super quickly. It took all morning to get ready, mass at 3pm-ish, dinner at 6pm-ish, and dance afterward until midnight. I have a few pictures scanned somewhere. If I find them, I will post them. :)

In Dallas, it's more like a debutante ball. Several families hold it together. Like a girl will have one with 6 of her friends splitting the costs. It's still done on their 15th birthday but it's just bigger and a lot more Americanized.

I remember that movie, we watched it in my HS Spanish class....Til this day my friend's (all who took the same class with me) still remember the "IMIGRA, IMIGRA!!!" part

Girls of Philippine descent usually have this when they're 18, and for many it is basically a deb ball.

That is so true...do you think its because they get sponsors to help pay for their weddings? I have been to alot of Mexican-Catholic weddings where the wedding program was filled with not only the wedding program itself, but lists of people who gave money for the veil, or the flowers, or the lariat (lasso? can't remember LOL) and what not. My sister sponsored a friend's wedding--I think her name was listed by the dress, and my husband was in one that he not only paid for his tux, but sponsored the groom's tux. And then they passed around the bag o' cash during the dance afterward. I guess that's the way to do it!