Question A: The transition from childhood to adulthood is a very important step in the life of a human being. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. Today, I will be reminiscing the rite of passage of a friend who transitioned from childhood to adulthood. The rite of passage that I witnessed was a Quinceanera, a Quinceanera is a coming of age celebration/ceremony that symbolizes a girls transition from childhood to adulthood/womanhood. The event started with a mass, although I was not present at the mass, my friend, the birthday girl, told me that the importance of the mass was to receive a blessing from God and ask Him for guidance as she enters a new chapter in her life (adulthood/womanhood). After the mass, family and close
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Although a Bar Mitzvah is a celebration for a young man, like a Quinceanera, both celebrations are a coming of age that signify the transition from childhood to adulthood. To start things off, a Bar Mitzvah is a ceremony/ celebration that takes place on a thirteenth boy’s birthday (Levitats 1949, 153). The Bar Mitzvah celebration symbolizes the boys transition from childhood to adulthood and in the Jewish culture it’s one of the most important milestones in the life of a boy (Levitats 1949, 153). Like a Quinceanera, a Bar Mitzvah celebration is a transition from childhood to adulthood. However, a Bar Mitzvah is a celebration for a young boy, whereas, a Quinceanera is a celebration for a young girl. A Bar Mitzvah indicates that the boy has now become a full-fledged member of the Jewish community. Likewise, a Quinceanera is a time where the young girl is revealed to the community, she is reintegrated into society as a new woman, a woman who is ready for new challenges and obstacles in life. During a Quinceanera mass, the young girl is blessed and asks God for guidance, as she enters a new chapter in her life. Automatically, after the Quinceanera celebration concludes, the girl is fully reintegrated into society as a woman. She is treated like a woman and is expected to live a life of a woman. However, unlike a Quinceanera where the girl is fully integrated in the adulthood community, during a Bar Mitzvah, boys undergo a ritual of reading the torah and saying a prayer which qualifies or disqualifies them from being full-fledged into the Jewish community (Reiter and Vogel 2003, 315). Another comparison between the two is the after party/celebration. Similar to a Quinceanera, after the Bar Mitzvah concludes, a party is held with family and friends to celebrate the coming of the child into adulthood, both ceremonies have music, food, dancing, and special practices in place. Both
Although a Bar Mitzvah is a celebration for a young man, like a Quinceanera, both celebrations are a coming of age that signify the transition from childhood to adulthood. To start things off, a Bar Mitzvah is a ceremony/ celebration that takes place on a thirteenth boy’s birthday (Levitats 1949, 153). The Bar Mitzvah celebration symbolizes the boys transition from childhood to adulthood and in the Jewish culture it’s one of the most important milestones in the life of a boy (Levitats 1949, 153). Like a Quinceanera, a Bar Mitzvah celebration is a transition from childhood to adulthood. However, a Bar Mitzvah is a celebration for a young boy, whereas, a Quinceanera is a celebration for a young girl. A Bar Mitzvah indicates that the boy has now become a full-fledged member of the Jewish community. Likewise, a Quinceanera is a time where the young girl is revealed to the community, she is reintegrated into society as a new woman, a woman who is ready for new challenges and obstacles in life. During a Quinceanera mass, the young girl is blessed and asks God for guidance, as she enters a new chapter in her life. Automatically, after the Quinceanera celebration concludes, the girl is fully reintegrated into society as a woman. She is treated like a woman and is expected to live a life of a woman. However, unlike a Quinceanera where the girl is fully integrated in the adulthood community, during a Bar Mitzvah, boys undergo a ritual of reading the torah and saying a prayer which qualifies or disqualifies them from being full-fledged into the Jewish community (Reiter and Vogel 2003, 315). Another comparison between the two is the after party/celebration. Similar to a Quinceanera, after the Bar Mitzvah concludes, a party is held with family and friends to celebrate the coming of the child into adulthood, both ceremonies have music, food, dancing, and special practices in place. Both