A glossary of celebrations and gifts

C

• Chambelanes

  Chambelanes are the young men who make up a quinceañera's court together with the damas: they escort her at the entrance and dance the court's choreography. In the waltz, her chambelán comes in last or in a round of his own, after the family.

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H

• Hora loca

  The hora loca (“crazy hour”) is a block of the party designed to lift the energy on the dance floor, with high-energy music, entertainers or costumed characters, and party props. It's part of almost every wedding party in Peru and of quinceañeras too, and it comes in when the party starts to dip.

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L

• Lista de novios

  A lista de novios is the gift list a couple puts together for their wedding—Peru’s name for a wedding registry. It’s set up at a department store, with items from its catalog, or as a contribution list, where each gift is money toward something the couple chooses.

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R

• RSVP

  RSVP stands for “répondez s'il vous plaît”, French for “please reply”: on an invitation, it asks you to confirm whether you'll attend. In Spanish it's called confirmación de asistencia, and it usually comes with a deadline to reply.

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S

• El Sueño

  El Sueño (“The Dream”) is one big gift for the whole event in a parati registry: it has a goal and a minimum contribution you set, and each guest gives what they like from the invitation. It carries the same fee as any gift: if your guests cover it, it reaches you in full.

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V

• Virtual gift registry

  A virtual gift registry—in Peru, a mesa de regalos virtual—is an online gift list: guests open it from a link and give a gift or chip in money from their phone, instead of bringing a package or an envelope to the party. It works for weddings, baby showers, birthdays and any celebration.

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