Miscellaneous Monday: Origins of Celebrating Birthdays and Unique Global Traditions!
Happy Monday Everyone!
There are tons of people I know who are all celebrating birthdays this month. I thought instead of a question this week, I would share some random facts from the internet.
First, the origins of celebrating birthdays. From a number of sources it would appear that the first celebrations related to this, were done by the ancient Egyptians. However, this was a celebration for the coronation of their pharaohs as it represented their "birth" as a god. Which later got translated by the Pagans as a way of giving thanks to the spirits that were present when you were born.
Now, I also found one source that listed "Unique" Birthday Traditions from around the world. I would recommend taking these with a grain of salt, as I'm a Canadian and I have been for many years and I have never seen or heard of anyone performing this tradition here:
Brazil: If you’re a child living in Brazil, you may want to protect your ears on your birthday. Family members and friends will pull on a child’s ear for each year of their life. The hope is you’ll grow old enough for your ears to reach the ground! Other countries like Russia, Italy, and Argentina also practice this ear-pulling tradition.
Canada: If you’re in Canada, your ears are safe. However, you might want to watch your nose. In some areas of Canada, the birthday person’s nose is smeared with butter. The greasy substance is meant to keep away bad luck.
China: In China, the first birthday is the biggest celebration. Friends and family gather around the little one while offering small gifts like flowers and books. A traditional Chinese birthday celebration for any age starts with you and your family eating longevity noodles. A longevity noodle is one, really long noodle that would fill the bowl on its own. The long noodle symbolizes a long and prosperous life!
Denmark: In Denmark, you might think you’re celebrating your country rather than your birth. On a person’s birthday, people surround them with the Danish flag…on cakes, plates, balloons, and more. The good news is that all this flag décor can be used over and over for all the birthdays in your home or office.
Ireland: In Ireland, birthdays are a bit upside down. Literally! On your birthday someone flips you upside down and lightly bumps the top of your head for each year, plus one for good luck. This birthday celebration is called “bump to grow an inch.” If you make it through 21 years of head bumps, you get a set of keys on your 21st birthday to symbolize unlocking the door to your future.
Vietnam: In traditional Vietnamese culture, everyone celebrates their birthday on the same day. The day, known as Tet, is the first day of the year. Infants turn one on Tet, no matter how close to the day of Tet the child was born. In modern Vietnam, many people celebrate on their true birth date while also celebrating on Tet. What’s not to love about two birthday celebrations?
Mexico: Piñatas are a popular Mexican birthday celebration. Children gather around to whack the piñatas in an attempt to obtain the candies and treats inside. Some Mexican families also attempt to smash the birthday person’s face in their own cake! As friends and family chant “mordida” the birthday person attempts to sneak a bite of cake without getting their face pushed by others.
I hope you all enjoyed a few fun birthday facts and I hope you all have a wonderful week!
16 comments
@Jimmy Seddon Nice post. In Idaho it is traditional to eat a potato on your birthday. (sarcasm) Now we just use potato flour in the cake. This is much better than the previous option.
