Bar/Bat Mitzvah

A Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a coming of age ceremony marking spiritual maturity and means "son/daughter of commandment". It is not a required celebration, but had been adopted over time. Every boy and girl at the age(s) of 12 and 13 is now responsible for their actions in the eyes of the Jewish faith. The young person reads the Torah’s weekly reading at their synagogue on Shabbat. Celebrations happen on the day of their birthday (typically) and the experience of the first Aliyah (reading the Torah at the synagogue) happens on the following Shabbat. Gift giving is a common aspcet of the celebration. Gifts are often given in sets of eighteen and meaningful gifts are given over expensive ones.

A very special gift to give a young person is their first tefillin set. Not all people get a set at first because they are so expensive. As new adults in the Jewish community they must start to wear the tefillin on their arm and forehead. Another common aspect of this celebration is a charity box, which is expected to be present in order to put away money to donate to charitable donations (usually Jewish). The celebration is usually a large reception with food and drinks. They have kosher foods with some specialty foods like the "challah" (braided bread), bagels and lox (salmon). Activities, such as dancing to the "Hora" dance to the song Hava Nagila is also a widely recoognized practice.