Birthday Traditions in Different Countries

 

Some traditions are quite similar in many parts of the world; birthday candles which carry wishes up to God, birthday games which gauge how much more a child can do versus last year, and birthday pinches or taps which ensure good luck for the coming year. Some traditions are more specific to certain countries.

 

Africa - Initiation Ceremonies. In various African nations they hold initiation ceremonies for groups of children instead of birthdays. When children reach a certain designated age, they learn the laws, beliefs, customs, songs and dances of their tribes.

Argentina - Dance the waltz at 15.  When girls turn 15 they have a huge party and dance the waltz with their father and other boys.

Brazil - Pulls on the earlobe. The birthday child receives a pull on the earlobe for each year they have been alive.

Canada - Greasing the nose with butter or margarine.  In Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland) the birthday child is ambushed and their nose is greased for good luck.  The greased nose makes the child too slippery for bad luck to catch them. This tradition is reputed to be of Scottish decent.  Birthday punches.  In Quebec the birthday person receives a punch for each year they are alive and then one for good luck.

China - Noodles for Lunch. The birthday child pays respect to his/her parents and receives a gift of money. Friends and relatives are invited to lunch and noodles are served to wish the birthday child a long life.

Cuba - Food, music, pinatas and lots of people. The celebrations are very similar to the United States; food, decorations, gifts, pinatas, cake, candles, "happy birthday" song and games.  But a lot of people are invited including neighbors, friends, co-workers and family even if they don't have kids around the birthday child's age.

Denmark - Flying Flags. A flag is flown outside a window to designate that someone who lives in that house is having a birthday. Presents are placed around the child's bed while they are sleeping so they will see them immediately upon awakening.

Ecuador - Pink Dress. When a girl turns 15 there is a great celebration and the girl wears a pink dress. The father puts on the birthday girls first pair of high heels and dances the waltz with her while 14 maids and 14 boys also dance the waltz.

England - Fortune Telling Cakes and Bumps.  Sending birthday cards is a custom that began in England about 100 years ago. Today, millions of cards are sent around the world each year to wish family and friends a happy birthday. Another old tradition still practiced by some English people is to make a birthday cake with symbolic objects baked inside. In medieval times, objects such as coins and thimbles were mixed into the batter. People believed that the person who got the coin would be wealthy, while the unlucky finder of the thimble would never marry. Today, small figures, fake coins and small candies are more common. Guests are warned ahead of time as well, so no one injuries their teeth or swallows a tiny treasure. Also, when its your birthday your friends give you the "bumps" they lift you in the air by your hands and feet and raise you up and down to the floor, one for each year then one for luck, two for luck and three for the old man's coconut!

 Germany - Candles left burning for the day. A member of the birthday person’s family wakes up at sunrise and lights the candles on the birthday cake. There are as many candles as the years of age of the birthday person plus one for good luck. The candles are left burning all day long. After dinner that night then everyone sings the birthday song and the birthday person blows out the candles. If all of the candles are blown out in one try then the wish of the birthday person will come true. Presents are then opened and the party starts. A child's birthday celebration is called ‘kinderfeste’. ‘Kinder’ means child and 'feste' means festival, or party. Historians attribute Germans with the first birthday parties for kids. Sweeping the stairs of city hall. When men reach the age of 30 and they still don't have a girlfriend that they have to sweep the stairs of the city hall. All there friends will throw rubble on the stairs and when you're finished  they'll throw some more rubble there. This way every girl can see that this man reached the age of 30 and still doesn't have a girlfriend (and that he can clean a house very well!).

Guyana - Special dishes.  Chicken, duck or lamb curry with rice are the main dishes at the birthday celebration.  A family member usually bakes a fruit, black or sponge for the birthday boy/girl to cut.  The person celebrating their birthday will wear something fancy.

Holland – Crown Years. Special year birthdays such as 5, 10, 15, 20, 21 are called "crown" years. The birthday child receives an especially large gift on a crown year birthday. The family also decorates the birthday child's chair at the dining room table with seasonal flowers or paper streamers, paper flowers and balloons. People in Holland hang Birthday Calendars to remind them of the birth dates of all their family and friends. When a Dutch person is unable to visit a child on their birthday, a card is always sent to wish the child well. Adults often bring a birthday cake to work to share with co-workers on their special day.

India - Colored dress and chocolates. At school the birthday child wears a colored dress and passes out chocolates to the entire class, with the help of a trusted friend.

Ireland - Birthday Bumps. "Birthday Bumps" are given to Irish children in honor of their birthday. While held upside down, the birthday celebrant is gently bumped on the floor one time for every year of their age - plus one extra for good luck!

 Israel - Chair Raising. A small child sits in a chair while grown-ups raise and lower it a number of times corresponding to the child's age, plus one for good luck.

Italy - Pulling ears.  The child's ears are pulled as many times as how old they are turning.

Japan - New Clothes. The birthday child wears entirely new clothes to mark the occasion. Certain birthdays are more important than others and these are celebrated with a visit to the local shrine.

Lithuania - Garlands and lifting the chair. A garland is hung around the entire door of the home of the birthday person. The birthday person sits in a decorated chair and family members lift them up to three times.

Mexico - Piñatas. The piñata, usually made out of paper mache and in the form of an animal, is filled with goodies and hung from the ceiling. The birthday child is blindfolded and hits the piñata until it is cracked open. All the children share the goodies. Also, when a daughter is 15, the birthday is celebrated with a special mass in her honor. A party is then given to introduce her to everyone as a young woman. The father dances a waltz with her.

Nepal -Mark on the forehead. A certain mixture of rice yogurt and color is placed on the birthday child's forehead for good luck.

New Zealand - Birthday claps. After the birthday cake is lit, the happy birthday song is sung loudly and often out of tune and then the person birthday person receives a clap for each year they have been alive and then one for good luck.

Norway - Birthday day. The birthday child stands out in front of their class and chooses a friend to share a little dance while the rest of the class sings a happy birthday song.

Panama - Piñatas and large parties. The piñata is the most important item. They are usually made to resemble a character to correspond with a theme. It is filled with candy and confetti and is either hit with a stick or there are ribbons on it to pull. When the cake is served, the happy birthday song is often performed in two languages, Spanish and English. The cake is served with ice cream. The extended family is invited and sometimes up to 100 children are invited.

Philippines - Mixture of East and West. Birthday cakes are baked in various sizes and shapes. The celebration includes noodles representing long life, balloon decorations and pinatas. Earlier in the day the family goes to hear Mass and to thank God.

Puerto Rico - Taps on the arm.  The child gets tapped on the arm for each birth year. A big party which includes a formal dinner is held.

Russia - Birthday Pies. If you've never like cake much, celebrate your birthday like a Russian child does. On their birthdays, Russian children have birthday pies, inscribed with a special birthday message.

 Scotland -  A pound note and a soft smack.  A pound note is given for every year old the child is plus an additional pound for good luck.  A soft smack on the bottom is also given for each year.

South Africa - Presentation of a key at age twenty-one.  On the twenty-first birthday a key made of anything from paper to aluminum foil to silver to gold is presented by the parents as a sign that the child is ready to unlock the door to their future.

United States - Cake, candles and song. Throughout history, Native American tribes have placed significance on milestones in a child's development rather than the day he or she was born. The day a child takes its first step is cause for just as much rejoicing as the day he or she accepts the responsibilities of an adult, gets married, becomes a parent, etc.

The majority of American children, however, celebrate birthdays with a cake topped with lighted candles. Most families use the candles to represent how old a person is turning, i.e., one candle for a one-year-old, etc. When the cake is set before the guest of honor, he or she is supposed to make a wish, without telling anyone what it is. After making a wish, he or she tries to blow out the candles. If all the candles go out with one breath, it is believed that the wish will come true!

Some children receive birthday "spankings", which were originally based on superstition, but are now more of a birthday prank or a joke. Hundreds of years ago, spankings were given for each year of the birthday child's life. Beyond that number, a child received another spanking to grow on, one to live on, one to eat on, one to be happy on, and yet another spanking to get married on. At one time, it was considered back luck if the birthday celebrant was not spanked because it was believed to "soften up the body for the tomb." Historians are unsure if the practice of swatting the birthday girl or boy was treated as a joke, as people view it today.

Singing "Happy Birthday to You" has also been a long-standing tradition on birthdays as well. It was written by two American sisters in 1893, and has been translated into several languages around the world.

Uruguay - A waltz at age 15 for a girl. The principal ritual of a birthday is the cake with candles and lights out, with the eternal song "Happy Birthday to you..." At the end of the song, the birthday person blows out the candles and all guests applaud or cheer, some make jokes, whistle loudly, and touch the birthday person's shoulder or head. When a girl reaches the age of 15, she puts on a formal dress and dances a waltz with possible suitors.

Vietnam - Everyones birthday is celebrated on new years day.  Not only is Tet the beginning of a New Year, it is also everyone's birthday. The Vietnamese do not know or acknowledge the exact day they were born. A baby turns one on Tet no matter when he/she was born that year. Children say they were born in the year of the symbol of the lunar calendar for that year. On the first morning of Tet, adults congratulate children on becoming a year older by presenting them with red envelopes that contain "Lucky Money," or li xi. These envelopes are given to the children by parents, siblings, relatives and close friends.