Coming Of Age
Worksheet
a. Quinceañera b. Bar Mitzvah
Sometimes simply called quince, this is the According to Jewish law, once they reach the age
celebration of a girl’s fifteenth birthday and of 13 boys become a bar mitzvah (Hebrew for son
marks her passage from girl to woman. It is the of the commandment). They become accountable
most important religious and social celebration for their own actions and may participate in all
for the majority of 15-year-old girls in Mexico, areas of Jewish community life. A Jewish boy
Latin America, and on Caribbean islands such as becomes a bar mitzvah on the Sabbath nearest his
Cuba. The celebration begins with a mass and is 13th birthday. Most families choose to celebrate
followed by a grand party with food, cake, music this milestone with a special ceremony. Boys
and dancing. The girl (also called the quinceañera), prepare for their bar mitzvah by taking lessons.
wears a ball gown and a tiara and is accompanied Usually the boy reads from the Torah and delivers
by her closest friends; her ‘court of honour’. a speech in the synagogue. He wears a special
prayer shawl called tallit. After the service, there
Quinceañera traditions include the presentation
is usually a party to which the rabbi, and the boy’s
of a doll to her younger sister, and the ‘changing
family and friends are all invited.
of the shoes’ in which her father changes the
girl’s flat shoes for high heels. Both these acts Liberal Jewish communities also celebrate a
symbolise that the quinceañera is ready to give up girl’s bat mitzvah (Hebrew for daughter of the
her childhood. commandment) in a similar way.
c. Metatah d. Sweet sixteen
The most important rite of passage for every Mainly celebrated in the United States and
Balinese teenager is the tooth filing ceremony, or Canada, sweet sixteen parties that celebrate a
Metatah ceremony. girl’s (or occasionally a boy’s) 16th birthday can
range from a small family party at home to a
During this ceremony a Hindu priest symbolically
lavish party in a hotel ballroom with hundreds of
cuts down or files away the six negative
guests. This celebration shares many similarities
traits of: lust, greed, wrath, pride, jealousy,
with a quinceañera such as the father-daughter
and intoxication.
dance, the shoe ceremony, and the lighting of
These days, the ‘filing’ is usually done with a piece candles to acknowledge the family and friends
of bamboo that only lightly grazes the teeth. who are important in the celebrant’s life. Some
families choose this celebration to pass down
If a family cannot afford the expensive ceremony
a family heirloom such as a piece of jewellery.
it can be postponed or integrated into a wedding
Others give the celebrant extravagant presents
celebration, but it must be carried out before
such as the keys to her first car. As well as making
a Balinese person gets married as it marks the
the day special, these acts show that the girl is
transition from adolescent to adult.
respected, responsible and can be trusted by
This mostly private ceremony is limited to family her parents.
members and involves purification ceremonies
and prayers.
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Celebrations: Coming of Age – Upper-intermediate–Advanced 3
Coming Of Age
Worksheet
3. Find the information
Answer the questions with the names of the appropriate celebrations.
Which celebrations:
1. are connected to birthdays?
2. just celebrate boys?
3. just celebrate girls?
4. have a strong religious element?
5. partly take place in a religious building?
6. are specific to one country?
7. share some of the same traditions?
8. require the person coming of age to attend special lessons?
4. Using the key words and expressions
Look back at task 2. Choose ten of the key words and expressions that you would like to be able to use
correctly. Write your ten words onto the beginning of the lines below – one word or expression per line.
Then write a new sentence of your own for each word or expression onto the lines.
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2020. Image credit: Getty Images/ma_rish (banner image)
Celebrations: Coming of Age – Upper-intermediate–Advanced 4
Coming Of Age
Worksheet
5. Discussion topics
a. Circle the most important birthday in your country or culture.
13 15 16 18 21 other
Talk about how this special birthday is celebrated.
Say:
• who is involved
• where the celebration is held
• what special traditions are connected to it
• what presents are given
• what food is eaten
• what greeting people say on this day
b. A
part from special birthdays, is there another coming of age tradition in your country, culture
or religion?
Explain it to someone who knows nothing about this celebration.
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2020. Image credit: Getty Images/ma_rish (banner image)
Celebrations: Coming of Age – Upper-intermediate–Advanced 5
