June 27, 2001
Source: The Boston Globe
On June 27, 2001, The Boston Globe reported that "the tradition of receiving the Roman Catholic sacrament for the first time threatens to go over the top in this city of lavish expenditures [Miami]...In many affluent Hispanic communities in South Florida...the extravagant affairs have become a common ritual, putting friends and neighbors in a competition to throw the biggest Communion bash...For many Cuban-Americans...[First Communion] is not only a rite of passage but an indicator of success and status."