About Birthdays

Have you ever wondered about birthdays? Everyone has one, of course. But how did they ever get started? Before there was a device called the "calendar", people had no way of keeping track of the passing of days, much less when someone was born. Since the calendar was invented, though, that has changed. People then started to celebrate birthdays.

Back in the pagan days, people worried about evil spirits. Especially when someone was about to turn a year older on their birthday. So, in order to protect the "Birthday Boy or Girl", the people decided they needed to throw a party for the person. A party that was full of laughter and merriment was sure to keep the evil spirits away!

The early Greeks are credited with inventing the "Birthday Cake." Because, they
made round cakes (to represent the moon) and took them to the temple of Artemis. Artemis was considered to be the "goddess of the moon." It's also believed the early Greeks made primitive candles out of wax. The candles were placed on the round cakes and lit to represent the glow of the moon.

The Germans baked "Geburtstagorten" to celebrate birthdays with. Geburtstagorten is a sugary, layered cake. In Russia, people receive a pie on their birthday instead of a cake.

If you're curious about birthdays, it may interest you to know that in Africa, birthdays aren't even celebrated. Instead, once an African child reaches a certain age, they are initiated into society. It is at that time they are able to become a part of the cultural rituals. Birthdays aren't celebrated at all in Saudi Arabia.

Latin girls also have something special to look forward to when they reach their fifteenth birthdays. This event is called a "Quinceanera". It means the girl has finally reached adult status.

Japanese children enjoy special birthday celebrations when they turn three, five, or seven years old. These birthdays are said to be especially lucky for them! Every year on November 15th, the Japanese hold a festival. If a child turns three, five, or seven, he or she is allowed to attend a festival, known as "Shichi-go-san". Translated, Shichi-go-san means "seven-five-three". This celebration starts out with family worship at a temple or shrine. Later, the families throw a party for the honored member who has just turned a year older.

Americans traditionally celebrate birthdays by presenting the guest of honor with a cake. Candles are placed on top of the cake- one for each year of the honoree's age. The candles are lit, and then the "Birthday Boy or Girl" makes a wish. They then blow out the candles. It's believed that, if all of the candles are blown out at once, their wish will come true.

If you're wondering about other birthday traditions in America, then you'll be interested to know that birthday spankings originated from early beliefs about dying. A person who was celebrating their birthday was spanked once for each year of their age. The spanking was thought to toughen up the body so the person wouldn't die.

(Children who are celebrating their birthdays in Argentina don't get spanked. Instead, they get their ears pulled.)

Jewelry is a popular gift to give someone on their birthday. Everyone has a "birthstone", and the type of the stone depends on the month you were born in. January is Garnet; February is Amethyst; March is Aquamarine; April is Diamond; May is Emerald; June is Pearl; July is Ruby; August is Peridot; September is Sapphire; October is Opal; November is Topaz; and December is Turquoise.

And finally, have you ever wondered about the birthday song, "Happy Birthday to You!" The words were written in 1893 by Kentucky sisters Mildred J. Hill and Dr. Patty Smith Hill. The former sister wrote the tune.