Tonight I got a text from a friend who asked if I wanted to go to a little party. Upon further narrowing down what kind of party I got that it was a "special" party, that we might have to dress up for, and finally it all came out: A friend of hers was throwing a Hebrew Party. What, you may ask, is a Hebrew party? Well, now, having experienced one first hand, I can tell you.
I went over to my friend house, and she was getting all dressed up, in a black dress, and scarves and tons of jewelery. I raided my roommates closet to find the longest dress she owned (since nothing of mine is much longer than my knees post mission) and then stole a shirt from my friend and a bunch of jewelery. I added a scarf/shawl for emphasis, and we were off.
We walked in to crys of "ooooh!" to a bunch of guys dressed like moses, or like the shepherds in the nativity play. (You know the look-- bathrobe... hand towel tied on their heads...) There was also a couple of guys wearing yamakas, and one with a beard drawn on his face. Anyway... they had a strange variety of music going on in the background. For refreshments there was grape juice (the closest thing we Mormons get to wine), pitas and hummus and maybe some other crackers or cookies or something-- I didn't have any. There was dancing-- oh there was dancing-- the kind you see on the movies, like Fiddler on the Roof. This was complete with people being seated on chairs and carried around the room. (note: this is a fabulous idea for large halls, or somewhere with vaulted ceilings. I was terribly afraid that someone was going to put a hole in their head, or through the low apartment ceilings.) Also, the main dancers decided if you did a lot of hopping while dancing to the hokey pokey that it looked pretty legit, and to be honest, I don't think I could tell you it wasn't. There was also a few rounds of Banana Grams (quite possibly my new favorite game), and some pleasant conversation. (Except, did I mention that my friend who i went with is GORGEOUS with red hair, and all the boys love her? Yeah... anyway.) They ended the evening (just as we were slipping out) by watching "the story of our forefathers": The Prince of Egypt. Yeah, I know, but see, if you're Mormon, you can take the whole "grafted in"/"adoption" into the house of Israel seriously and hey, it is the story of our forefathers! With singing and cartoon dancing! Who complains about that?
I suppose to an actual Jew, the night may have been offensive, I assure you, that was not the intent. It was amusing, I ought to add it to my Provo bucket list, just so I can check it off. (Tell me you've never padded your to-do list to feel better about your day; "take shower-- check! eat breakfast-- check! man, I'm doing so good today...")
So, one added to the bucket list:
Attend Hebrew Party-- Check!
(they say in two weeks it'll be an Irish party... maybe I ought to add more to the list)
No comments:
Post a Comment