Challah, high fashion, balloon arches, backwards books, and a whole bunch of sugar-high kids: My first bat mitzvah

Confession: I'm Catholic.
There, I said it. For those of you who read the above sentence and immediately associated my statement with the negative connotations surrounding the Catholic church, please get off my blog if you believe I'm about to embark on some religion-infused rant.
Now, for those of you that cared to read on, you'll realize that the fact that I'm Catholic is only important to this post in the way that, due to my being so, I've never really been exposed to any other religions the world has to offer. Sure, I've attended a Methodist funeral, heard a Presbyterian sermon, and seen some televangelist Baptist ceremonies on Sunday morning television. However, that pretty much summed up all of my first-hand knowledge of of religious movements other than my own.
Notice I used the past-tense form of 'sum'. The reason: two weekends ago, my mom and I attended a bat mitzvah for the daughter of one of my dad's friends. (Dad and my sister were camping, so my mom and I had to, as she said, "represent the family)
Now, I know that people hear the words 'bat' and 'mitzvah' and start thinking of all these different things. However, for those who aren't really sure, a bat mitzvah is a religious ceremony in the Jewish faith held honor of a girl's thirteenth birthday, symbolizing her transition from youth to adult in the church. Boys have the same thing, except it's called a bar mitzvah. I always used to mix those up.
Okay, let's be frank: what I talked about above is really only half the battle. The facet most commonly associated with the bat/bar mitzvah is the gargantuan party held after the ceremony in honor of the boy or girl for which the ceremony was held. The reason: the bat/bar mitzvah is one of the, if not the hugest event in the life of a Jewish individual. It's arguably more important than weddings. And, as we all know, a big occasion requires a big celebration. This particular bat mitzvah was no exception.
But, I'll talk about that later. First, let's recap the ceremony, which was held in a synagogue in Rockville, Maryland.
One of the first things I noticed when I walked in with my mom was the abundance of men and boys wearing the same maroon-colored yamikah- you know, the little cap worn on the back of Jewish men's heads you see in all the movies. At first, I thought that my mom and I were literally the only non-Jewish people there. I found out later that Maiya's (the bat mitzvah- yes, that's what the girl honored is referred to as) parents had commissioned special yamikahs to be worn for all of the men and boys in attendance. It's actually a requirement for any male who enters the synagogue to wear one out of respect. In truth, the men who were actually Jewish had brought their own.
Another moment of enlightenment came the first time the rabbi asked us to open our Torrahs- the Jewish bible. Upon picking one out of the front pew, I realized that the pages are printed backwards, beginning on page 1,187 (I don't remember the exact number, but that was close) and going all the way back to 1. I'll be honest- I don't really know why this is. I think it has something to do with Hebrew, the language of the Jewish faith, being read backwards.
Going off on a brief tangent, the language of the Roman Catholic church is Latin. Before the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, the whole mass was celebrated in Latin. Now, it's mostly in English, with only a few key parts being read in Latin. (You have no idea how helpful this has been in helping me learn Latin pieces for choral auditions) In the Jewish faith, however, it's an entirely different story. At this bat mitzvah, I'd be willing to estimate that 80% of it was read in Hebrew, most of that being chants. Because of this, I can only remember a few key parts of the ceremony, as the chants were used to fill the "cracks" between these parts.
Let's used a bulleted list to recount them. (Don't worry, I'm almost to the part with the party)

• At the very beginning, Maiya and Julia, the girl sharing her bat mitzvah, were presented with their very own tallits from their families. A tallit is a cloth inscribed with words from the Torrah, usually handed down from generation to generation. It's worn draped over the shoulders.
• Eventually, it came time for the girls to read from the Torrah for the first time. To do this, they had to retrieve the scrolls on which the Torrah was written from a door behind the altar, then parade around the synagouge with them as the rabbi and congregation who knew how chanted in Hebrew. As the girls walked through the aisles, Torrah scrolls in hand, the Jewish attendees would reach across the pew and touch them with their own Torrahs, then giving their copy a kiss.
• Towards the end, Maiya and Julia each had to read a selection they had chosen from the Torrah called their Pirke Avot, which should show symbolism to their transition from youth to adult. Maiya's was about the distinguishing characteristics of a fool and a wise person, while Julia's was about speaking up for oneself.

Phew. Well, after the two hour ceremony, we all went out into the lobby and took our own challah bread and wine (grape juice was what it really was). At this point, Julia's guests boarded a bus- you hear that? A bus. They rented a bus. That just shows you what a big deal this is -to go to the location of their party. Lucky for us, Maiya's party was being held in a banquet hall inside the synagogue, so we didn't have to go very far.
Don't think that just because it was held in a banquet hall, it was a stuffy environment. Oh, no. Maiya's parents had hired a party company called Electric Entertainment to work the party, and they had totally taken over the place.
The DJ booth was at the front of the room, eminating a whole playlist of songs and remixed versions of songs from the 80's to today. There were a ton of neon lights illuminating the place, complete with streamers and balloons. My dad's friend from high school had set up a photo booth, too.
It was totally the best party I've been to in a long time. The DJs and dancers were very engaging, holding games that everyone- not just the kids- could play. These included making human pyramids and attempting to get across the dance floor, having kids teach adults dances from "their time" and vice versa (examples- the Wobble, the Harlem Shake, the Robot). This was great, seeing as Maiya had invited her entire school class, swim team, and Hebrew group.
There was also an awesome ice cream bar in the back with tons of toppings, like a fro-yo place.
And, the coolest thing was, the party was totally, as the emcee, Brian, put it, "Maiya-ized." They played Maiya's favorite songs, gave out giftcards to Maiya's favorite restaurant (Chipotle), and made a ton of swimming themed events. Example: when we played Coke or Pepsi, it was called Breast or Butterfly.
Okay- to make a long story short, the Jewish people really know how to party, and I had a fantastic time. Thanks, Maiya!