Birthdays are one of the most widely celebrated traditions. A birthday is the one day set aside out of the year especially for loved ones to let you know how glad they are that you're with them and to relive the joy you've shared over the past year. Here is some history about how birthday celebrations came to be, and how birthdays are celebrated across the world. |
Parrrrrrrrrr-tay! |
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What's up with that cake? |
One theory about the origin of the birthday cake is that is originated with the Greeks, who
baked round cakes representing the full moon for their moon goddess, Artemis. They placed
candles on the cake to make it glow, like the moon. The Germans are also credited with the
first cakes and candles. They used a sweet, layered cake and they put a large candle in
the center of the cake to represent "the light of life." Some people believe the smoke from
extinguished candles carries their birthday wishes up to heaven.
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Why balloons? |
The first balloons are believed to have been children's toys, made from animal bladders
and/or intestines, often filled with water. The Aztecs used blew air into the bowels of
sacrificed cats (sorry, cat lovers) and twisted them into animal shapes and presented to
the gods as a sacrifice. The first rubber balloons were made by Professor Michael Faraday
in 1824 for use in his experiments with hydrogen at the Royal Institution in London, and toy
balloons were introduced by pioneer rubber manufacturer Thomas Hancock the following year.
The concept and technology for the "metalization" of plastic sheeting that has given us
foil (Mylar) balloons comes directly out from NASA.
European jesters and troubadors were said to sometimes inflate the entrails of recently butchered animals and "entertain" with them. This is where the association of modern-day balloons with celebrations is throught to have originated. (If you can twist balloons into animal shapes, you have a skill which transcends age, culture, and language, and which will win you instant friends! This is the coolest balloon animal I've ever seen). |
That catchy tune! |
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The "Happy Birthday" song is more than one hundred years old. It was written in 1893
by two sisters, Patty and Mildred Hill, who were schoolteachers in Louisville, Kentucky.
The tune was originally a morning greeting to their students entitled "Good Morning To All."
The lyrics were copyrighted in 1935, 11 years before Patty's death, and the ownership has
swapped hands in multi-million dollar deals ever since. The current copyright is owned
by Warner Communications. They purchased it in 1989 for more than $22 million dollars.
"Happy Birthday" is recognized around the world and has been translated into dozens of languages. It is one of the three most popular songs in the English language. |
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In Denmark, the celebration of "round" birthdays (20, 30, 40, etc.)
can boast an impressive guest list of sometimes hundreds of people.
Guests can expect to be seated at a dinner table for at least six hours as speeches, songs,
and sketches by friends and relatives serve as fillers between courses. A flag is flown
outside a window to designate that someone who lives in that house is having a
birthday. For chidren's birthdays, presents are placed around the child's bed while
they are sleeping so they will see them immediately upon awakening. |
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Japanese children used to celebrate their birthdays on January first.
Most Japanese children celebrate their birthdays on their true birthdays, today.
The birthday child often wears entirely new clothes to mark the occasion which can
include a visit to the local shrine. |
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A Norwegian child stands out in front of their class on their birthday and chooses a
friend to share a little dance while the rest of the class sings a happy birthday song. |
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In the Philippines, birthday parties are a mixture of East and West traditions. The celebration
includes balloons and pinatas. Noodles, representing long life, are served, in addition to
several birthday cakes in various sizes and shapes. The family also goes to Mass and to give
thanks to God. |
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If you're Russian, you may receive a birthday pie with a birthday greeting carved
into the crust, instead of a cake! |
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One of the most important birthdays in Korea is a child's first birthday.
The children are dressed in special clothes and are taken in front of a large gathering
of friends and family members. The celebration includes a big feast and the guests leave
money for the new one-year old child. The child's future is told by the items the birthday
child picks up. |
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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. |
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Hindu children only celebrate their birthdays until they are 16 years old.
Their birthdays are spiritual ocassions; they take flowers to
the temple and receive a blessing from a priest, and they also get the day off from school. |
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In China, the birthday child pays respect to his/her parents and receives "lucky money" in
a decorative red envelope. Friends and relatives are invited to lunch and noodles are served
to wish the birthday child a long life. |
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Certain symbolic objects are baked into English birthday cakes to bring good fortune
to the party guests. For example, if your piece of cake has a coin in it, then you will
become rich. |
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Families in Holland decorate the birthday child's chair at the dining room table with
seasonal flowers. "Even" birthdays are called "crown" years, and the birthday child receives an
especially large gift on these birthdays. |
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In Israel, a birthday child sits in a chair while grown-ups raise and lower it a number of
times corresponding to the child's age, plus one more rise for good luck. |
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Most birthday
parties in Mexico include a pinata: a large paper-mache object that is shaped like a
favorite cartoon character or animal or other fun shape and covered in colorful
fringed paper. The pinata is hung by a rope and blindfolded children take turns hitting the
pinata with a stick. The pinata is filled with candy and treats, and when the pinata is
broken open the children rush forward to claim the candies that
shower down. This tradition is over 300 years old. |
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The Serbian people do not necessarily celebrate their personal birthdays; instead they
celebrate Krsno Ime, or Krsna Slava. The Slava is a unique holiday of the Serbian people; it
is both a religious and an ethnic institution and is the celebration of the
Serbs adopting the Christian faith. |
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If you live in Bulgaria and have a historical or Biblical name, you get a second, much bigger
celebration on your name day in addition to a celebration on your birthday. |
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Canadians sometimes pick up the birthday person by their arms and legs and then lightly bounce
them on the floor, one time for every year of age. |
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Lithuanian children in celebrate their birthdays while older
individuals are more inclined to celebrate their name days. The birthday person's door frame and chair
are decorated with seasonal garlands. The guest of honor wears a patterned
sash throughout the celebration, and is lifted up three times in the decorated chair. |
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If you are a Hopi indian, you might receive a beauitful hand-woven quilt for your
birthday. |
| If you would like to contribute the traditions your culture or country's to this page, email me! |
Say It Any Way You Like! |
| "Happy birthday!" or... |
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Feliz Cumpleanos - Spanish Frohlicher Geburtstag - German Gratulerer med magen - Norwegian Manuia lou aso fanau - Samoan Tanjobi omedeto - Japanese Sangilulch�ukhahamnida - Korean Scaslivy naradze�nia - Belarus Blahoprani k narozeninam - Czech |
| If you would like to contribute your language's translation of "Happy Birthday" to this page, email me! |
Family Traditions |
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"We have our family birthday parties at the time of day the birthday person was born, which
means one of our parties each year is at 4:03 am!" The Andersons, California "The birthday child gets two parties, one for friends and one for family. They also get to choose what kind of birthday cake they want, but they cannot see the cake until it's time to sing." The Von Bargens, Ohio "In our family we have the B-Day person give gifts to the other family members instead of receiving gifts." The Wests, California |
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"The birthday person chooses someplace to take a family trip, which we call a 'family adventure,'
for the day or weekend." The Moattars, California |
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"The birthday child gets to eat breakfast off of the family's best china and drink their milk
out of wine glasses while the rest of the family eat off of everyday plates. The birthday child
also gets to answer the phone all day and pick out favorite food for dinner." The MacRaes, England |
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"When our daughter turned thirteen, all of her adult relatives brought quilt pieces with
drawings or embroidered pictures or symbols commemorating events in her life that they had
been a part of. On her birthday eve, the guests showed their pieces and retold the story
depicted. In the morning we sewed the pieces together to form a quilt and presented it to
the girl at her party that day." The Bivens, Washington |
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"Where possible, presents are left under the birthday person's pillow. The front door in
decorated with balloons, little toys and pretty things at ground level all the way up to the
door knob so the birthday child gets an eye level view of their birthday celebration." The Braidwoods, Ottowa, Canada |
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"Long ago, we didn't wrap birthday gifts because of lack of wrapping paper and tape.
Gifts were left in the bag from the store and hidden somewhere in the house. The birthday
child would search for the gift around the house and the family directed them by saying warmer
when they got close to it and colder when they got further away from it. Even though
the tradition started without wrapping paper it continues with the gifts now wrapped." The Aldermans, South Carolina |
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"We have a birthday pancake breakfast. Each pancake in the stack has either the
child's first initial or the number representing the child's age drawn on it with food coloring.
A lit candle is placed on the stack and family gathers around the breakfast table to sing
'Happy Birthday'." The Roalds, Colorado |
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"The birthday person must answer the phone with the words 'birthday gift.' If they forget, or
if the person calling says it first, then the callersupposedly could take one of the birthday
presents, their choice!" The Turtons, California |
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"Each year on our daughter's birthday we have a professional portrait taken in a new
outfit which she picks out. We also visit the hospital where she was born and sometimes even
run into a nurse who took care of her as a new born!" The Arthurs, Florida |
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"We 'kidnap' a friend of the birthday child's choice and have breakfast at a local
restaurant in pajamas." The St. John-Smiths, New England |
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"We sneak into the birthday person's room before they awake and dab some butter on
their nose to 'smooth' the way for the coming year." The Rennas, Wisconsin |
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"We build a snowman, have the birthday child decorate its face and choose one of
their own hats to put on top of the snowman's head. Of course, this only works for us since
all our three children were born in the middle of the winter!" The Shibans, California |
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"Every year at the child's birthday gathering it is announced that it is time to go outside
to take the 'cake in the chair in front of the house birthday pictures.' The birthday child
stands next to the cake. Passerbys often think the family is odd for doing this, but it adds
weight to the tradition. The pictures are saved in a picture book album." The Killingers, California |
If you would like to contribute your family's traditions to this page, email me! |
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The earliest birthday parties were held because people believed evil spirits were particuarly
attracted to people on their birthdays. At first it was only kings who were recognized as
important enough to have a birthday celebration. To protect them from harm, friends and
family would to come be with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and wishes.
Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off the evil spirits. As time went by,
children became included in birthday celebrations. The first children's
birthday parties occurred in Germany and were called Kinderfeste.