Grandmothers in Colombia get the quinceañera they never had

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — At age 72, Rosalba Casas finally celebrated her 15th birthday on Friday, donning a flowing pink dress and a tiara for the quinceañera she dreamed of as a teenager.

“This is the happiest day because I’m celebrating my 15th birthday,” Casas said, adding that she’d stayed up all night thinking about the big day.

It was the first time she wore professional makeup or a formal gown, or rode in a limousine, where she joined 28 other older women chosen by the Sueños Hechos (Dreams Come True) Foundation for belated birthday celebrations.

Quinceañeras are a time-honored tradition in Latin America, a often lavish celebration that marks a girl’s passage into adulthood when she turns 15. But for the 29 women — mostly grandmothers — honored at this party, childhood hardships p