Celebration and Party
The tradition of following the religious bar mitzvah ceremony with a celebration or even a lavish party is a recent one. As a major life-cycle event, it is understandable that modern Jews enjoy celebrating the occasion and have incorporated the same sorts of celebratory elements as those that accompany other major life-cycle events, like a wedding. But just like the wedding ceremony is much more central than the wedding party, it is important to remember that the party is simply the celebration marking the religious implications of becoming a Bar Mitzvah.