Encyclopedia
A
birthday is the date on which a person is
born, marking the day a life outside the womb begins. It is customary in many cultures to celebrate the anniversary of one's birthday, for example by having a birthday
party with family and/or friends. Gifts are often given to the person celebrating the birthday. It is also customary to treat people specially on their birthday, either generally acceding to their wishes, or subjecting them to a
rite of transition.
Western private birthday traditions
History of celebration of birthdays in the West
It is thought that the large-scale celebration of birthdays in Europe began with the cult of
Mithras, which originated in
Persia but was spread by soldiers throughout the
Roman Empire. Before this, such celebrations were not common; and, hence, practices from other contexts such as the Saturnalia were adapted for birthdays. Because many Roman soldiers took up
Mithraism, it had a wide distribution and influence throughout the empire until it was supplanted by
Christianity.
Birthday celebrations were rare during the
Middle Ages but saw a resurgence with the advent of the
Reformation. During this period, they were seen as a good way to transfer customs from the saint's days to other dates not linked to the newly repudiated veneration of saints.
Even today, the celebration of birthdays is not universal in the West; in addition to those people preferring name day celebrations,
Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate either, considering them to be
pagan festivals along with
Christmas and
Easter. Many adults loathe celebrating it as it remindes them that they are continually getting older.
Festive
In most
English-speaking countries it is traditional to sing the song
Happy Birthday to You to the honored person celebrating his birthday. Similar songs exist in other languages such as "Lang zal hij/zij leven" in Dutch, "Zum Geburtstag Viel Glück" in German, "Cumpleaños Feliz" in Spanish, or "Sto lat" in Polish. This happens traditionally at a birthday party while someone brings a birthday
cake into the room.
- The birthday cake is traditionally highly decorated, and typically covered with lit candles when presented; the number of candles often equals the age of the person. The person whose birthday it is makes a silent wish and then blows out the candles; if done in one breath, the wish is supposed to come true. It is also common for the "birthday boy" or "birthday girl" to cut the initial piece of the cake like as a newlywed couple might with a wedding cake. Birthday cakes have been a tradition dating back as far as the Middle Ages when the English would conceal symbolic items such as gold coins, rings and thimbles inside their cakes. Each item was associated with a prediction. For example, a person finding a gold coin in a birthday cake would supposedly become wealthy where a person discovering a thimble would never marry.
Typical birthday party decorations include balloons, streamers and confetti.
For special birthdays and for when the number of candles might be considered impractical or a
fire hazard, special candles might be substituted for the many individual candles. These candles are in the shape of a numeral; for example, on the fifth birthday there may be one candle on the cake in the shape of the numeral 5, and on the fiftieth birthday there may be two candles on the cake, one in the shape of the numeral 5 followed by the other in the shape of the numeral 0.
- A birthday is considered a special day for the person, and so the person will often get special treatment from friends and family. This is especially true for children who cannot wait for their own special day. In addition to parties, people often get gifts on their birthday.
- Birthday parties for children often include fun games like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, musical chairs, and hitting piñatas.
- There are also traditions of surprise parties.
- Not all traditions are equally generous. In certain circles the birthday boy or girl is expected to treat the fellows, often by shouting one or more round of drinks . The birthday that means reaching the legal age limit for drinking may be celebrated with richly flowing alcohol.
- Another tradition enjoyed by girls that was popularized in the 1950s and 60s: receiving a special corsage that was decorated with candy or another inexpensive item that corresponded to age. The items were priced within reach of the peer group, and all were light enough so they could fasten easily to curly ribbons and be worn throughout the school day without problem.
- 10th birthday - lollipops
- 11th birthday - gum drops
- 12th birthday - tootsie rolls
- 13th birthday - bubble gum
- 14th birthday - dog biscuits
- 15th birthday - life savers
- 16th birthday - sugar cubes
- 17th birthday - lemon drops
- 18th birthday - fake key of a car
Testing
Since every year of age can be seen as a minor transition, this can be accompanied by some traditional initiation rite such as a birthday spanking, after which the honoree may in some traditions receive a "pinch to grow an inch."
It is also traditional in schools in some areas of Britain to 'bump' people on their birthday. This involves them being hoisted face up by arms and legs and allowed to fall; pulling on the limbs restrains the fall so that the victim does not quite hit the ground. This is repeated for the number of times equal to their birthday age. On one last hoist the celebrant is often allowed to fall to the ground with a bump. A less painful way is to be lifted in the air while sitting on a chair. Then the last lift is usually made higher than the others.
A similar tradition in schools are 'birthday beats' or 'birthday bashings' in which the birthday child receives a number of punches on their arm that equals their age . Usually it is followed with a 'one for luck' punch which tends to be harder than the rest. Birthday beats are not often malicious but sometimes can be considered bullying and may ruin a child's special day.
Special birthdays
Notable birthdays can include
- When the most significant digit changes, for example one's 1st, 10th, 30th, 50th, or 100th birthdays, as well as significant years such as the 18th and 21st.
- One's golden birthday, also called a champagne birthday, is the day when the age one turns is the same as the day of the month they were born. .
- In most legal systems, one becomes a legal adult on a particular birthday, and at different ages gain different rights and responsibilities — voting, certain drug use , eligibility for military draft or voluntary enlistment, driving etc.
- Most cultures have one or more coming of age birthdays:
- Jewish boys have a bar mitzvah on or around their 13th birthday. Jewish girls observe a bat mitzvah on or around their 12th birthday, or sometimes on or around their 13th birthday in Reform and Conservative Judaism.
- In some Christian traditions, generally Catholic and Anglican, Confirmation
...
is the ritual by which a young person becomes an official member of the Church. This sometimes includes the bestowal of a 'Confirmation name,' generally the name of a
saint, which is often worn as a second middle name. Confirmation also bestows the
Holy Spirit upon the confirmand, and in some churches is received concurrent with baptism or first communion.
- In Latin America the quinceañera celebration traditionally marks a girl's 15th birthday.
- Some girls in the United States have "sweet sixteen" birthday parties.
- The birthdays of historically significant people, like Jesus Christ, the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, or the father of the fatherland, are often commemorated by an official holiday, some saints are remembered by a liturgical feast . By analogy, the Latin term Dies natalis 'birthday' is applied to the anniversary of an institution
Official/Alternative birthdays and name day
Some notables, particularly Monarchs, have on a fixed day of the year an
official birthday which do not match their actual birthday, but on which celebrations are held.
Examples are:
...
, the
Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 3 June
- Koningsdag or Koninginnedag in the Kingdom of the Netherlands is fixed on 30 April to avoid winter weather .
While it is uncommon to have an official holiday for a
republican
head of state's birthday, this can become a permanent posthumous honour, especially in the case of a so-called father of the fatherland, e.g. George Washington
In cases where a historical figure's actual birthday is unknown, e.g.
Jesus, it is common for a particular date to be substituted.
People who are born on the
leap day 29 February, which only occurs during
leap years, often celebrate their birthday in other years on the 28th , or 1 March .
In some
Roman Catholic and
Eastern Orthodox countries such as
France,
Hungary, or
Greece, it is common also to have a '
name day'/'Saint's day'. This is celebrated in much the same way as a birthday, but is held on the official day of a saint with the same Christian name as the birthday boy/girl; the difference being that one may look up a person's nameday in a calendar, or easily remember common namedays ; however in pious traditions, the two were often made to concur by giving a newborn the name of a saint celebrated on its birthday, or even the name of a feast, e.g.
Noel or
Pascal . In some countries, name days are celebrated with much more elaborate festivities than birthdays; in the past, birthdays often weren't celebrated at all in those countries.
In school, a half-birthday or other unbirthday is sometimes celebrated for those whose birthdays do not fall on a school day .
All
racehorses traditionally celebrate their birthday on 1 August in the Southern Hemisphere, and on 1 January in the Northern Hemisphere.
Birthday gift symbolism
Birthstones
A birthstone is a gift of a precious material that symbolizes the month of birth .
It is sometimes also called
birthday stone .
There have been many different sets of birthstones used throughout history and in different cultures, but in 1912 the American national association of jewelers, Jewelers of America, officially adopted the following list; it is currently the most widely used list in the
United States and many other places, including Australia and Thailand; some alternatives are added:
Tanzanite was added to December by the American Gem Trade Association in 2002.
Some alternates have been adopted to be a less expensive substitute or a cut
stone.
The birthstone seems to originate from Biblical times. The Breastplate of Aaron, referred to in Exodus 39:10-14:
- 10 Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz and a beryl;
- 11 in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald;
- 12 in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst;
- 13 in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. They were mounted in gold filigree settings.
- 14 There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
The precise list of birthstones however can be found in Revelation 21:19-20 where the foundation stones of the new Jerusalem are listed, in the order of the Roman calendar:
- 19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
- 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
The Twelve Tribes of Israel will be the "foundation" of the new Jerusalem.
Zodiac stones
There is an astrological version of the birthstones using the twelve
zodiac signs instead of the twelve calendar months. Listed below are the corresponding dates for the
tropical sun signs and their associated birthstone.
Birthday stones
While this word has also been used as synonym of Birth stone , there is a separate list of assignment according to the day of the week of the recipient's birth:
Trivia
The most common birthday in the USA is October 5, whereas the least common birthday is May 22.
Technical issues
A person's birthday is usually recorded according to the time zone of the place of birth. Thus people born in
Samoa at 11:30pm will record their birthdate as one day before
UTC and those born in the
Line Islands will record their birthdate one day after UTC. They will apparently be born two days apart, while some of the apparently older ones may be younger in hours. Those who live in different time zones from their birth often exclusively celebrate their birthdays at the local time zone.
See also
- Various birthdays are mentioned on the pages devoted to each day of the year, from January 1 to December 31
- Birthday paradox
- Birthday attack
- East Asian age reckoning - a different method of age reckoning to birthdays that is used in some Asian countries.
- Half-birthday
- Natal chart
- Unbirthday
References
External links
- Discover info, meanings, history, pix, and more of your birth month flower.
