HISTORY OF BIRTHDAYS

Before humans had a way of keeping time, no one paid much attention to the anniversary of important events, such as birthdays. Only when ancient peoples began taking notice of the moon's cycles, did they pay attention to the changing seasons and the pattern that repeated itself over and over. Eventually, the first calendars were formulated in order to mark time changes and other special days. From this tracking system came the ability to celebrate birthdays and other significant anniversaries the same day each year. Evidence of birthday observances dates back before the rise of Christianity. n pagan cultures, people feared evil spirits ! especially on their birthdays. t was a common belief that evil spirits were more dangerous to a person when he or she e"perienced a change in their daily life, such as turning a year older. #s a result, birthdays were merry occasions celebrated with family and friends, who surrounded the person of honor with laughter and $oy in order to protect them from evil. nstead of gifts, most guests brought positive thoughts and happy wishes for the upcoming year. %owever, if well!wishers did bring gifts, it was considered an especially good influence for the birthday person. #lthough historians are certain that people have observed their birthdays for &uite some time, there are few records of such celebrations that still e"ist. Of these few descriptions, only those birthdays of kings, high!ranking nobility, and other important figures have been documented. Common people and especially children never celebrated their birth when the idea came about. 'his trend has been e"plained by a theory that nobility were the only people wealthy enough to throw such celebrations, and &uite possibly were the only ones deemed important enough to have been written about or remembered. (ome historians believe these early birthday bashes resulted in the custom of wearing birthday )crowns) as time went on. Eventually, birthday celebrations became a tradition around the world with young and old, rich or poor. #lthough birthday customs are &uite similar in some countries today, not everyone celebrates in the same way. *ifferent people have incorporated their own rituals into the birthday celebration, based on spiritual beliefs and ancient cultural traditions. +hile you may find some of them odd, or even humorous, each one is uni&ue. Birthday 'raditions #round the +orld

'here are numerous traditions surrounding birthdays, some of which are described below. ,ou may recogni-e some of the customs, while others will be very unfamiliar. 'here may also be special traditions in your family or a friend's family that do not appear below. Family history, culture, language and economic status are all details that affect the way a person observes the anniversary of their birth. 'wo of the most significant factors throughout history, however, have been geographic location and spiritual beliefs. 'he following customs have been divided according to these two categories. #frica

n many #frican cultures, the day a child is born is not observed as a special day. nstead, when #frican children reach a certain age, they are initiated into the community. 'his allows them to learn about the laws of their culture and participate in ancient rituals. Coming!of!age initiations are commonly done in groups rather than with individual children. Each year, #sante people in .hana celebrate )krada) /meaning )(oul *ay)0 on the day of the week that they were born. 'his observance involves a cleansing ritual intended to purify the inner soul. On a person's krada, he or she wakes up early and washes using a special leaf soaked overnight in water. #n afternoon feast with family and friends is held in the person1s honor, and the celebrant usually dresses in clothing with a white background. 2atin #merica

n several 2atino cultures, a girl's 34th birthday, called a )5uinceanera), marks her passage into adulthood. 'his celebration often includes a religious ceremony at church, in which the young lady recogni-es her heritage and her spiritual $ourney. 6any 5uinceaneras include a candle!lighting

ceremony, where a young woman illuminates her parents' candles using the flame of her own candle. n turn, her parents light the candles of their parents, and so on. n some 2atin #merican countries, a young woman changes her shoes from flats to heels during the ceremony. 6e"ican birthday celebrations feature pi7atas filled with candy and small toys. #t birthday parties, children take turns hitting the pi7ata, a hollow figure shaped like an animal, flower, automobile, or other ob$ect that is suspended from the ceiling. +hile blindfolded, kids hit the pi7ata with a stick until it breaks open. +hen the treasures rain down on the floor, everyone scrambles to collect them. 8eople believe that the child who breaks open the pi7ata will have good luck. Children in #rgentina receive pulls on the earlobe for their birthday. 'raditionally, they get one pull for each year of their life. 6iddle East

Egyptian birthday parties are filled with dancing and singing when a child turns one year old. Flowers and fruit are used to decorate the party as symbols of life and growth. n (audi #rabia, people do not observe birthdays due to spiritual beliefs. 9eligious holidays and weddings, however, are occasions for great celebration. #t an sraeli child's birthday party, he or she sits in a special chair decorated with fresh flowers and greens. 'o celebrate the child's age, family and friends gather around the chair, lifting and raising it once for each year of life ! plus one more for good luck: #sia

+hen ;apanese children turn <, 4, or =, it is thought to be especially lucky. 'hey are allowed to participate in the upcoming (hichi!go!san /meaning )(even!Five!'hree)0 Festival, celebrated annually on >ovember 34. *uring this festival, children and their families visit a shrine or other place of worship, give thanks for good health, and ask to be blessed with continued well!being in the future. #fterwards, a family will often throw a party and bestow gifts upon the child. For this occasion, girls and boys always dress in their finest clothes, which may be traditional kimonos or western!style clothing. n China, people believe that tigers protect children. Family members bring newborns special food and present them with gifts of clothing or toys decorated with tigers. +hen a Chinese girl or boy turns one year old, a variety of ob$ects and toys are placed on the floor around the child. #ccording to ancient beliefs, the ob$ect that the child chooses is a symbol foreshadowing the profession he or she will pursue in life. n %ong ?ong and some other Chinese communities, special noodles are served for lunch in honor of the birthday child. 'he noodles are e"tra!long to symboli-e a long life. Filipino families display blinking colored lights to show that someone is having a birthday at their home. 'he whole family usually goes to church together to thank .od, and a celebration with close family and friends may follow. n ?orea, )8aegil) /the 3@@th day after a child's birth0 is a day of feasting for the child's family. (imilarly, on a ?orean child1s first birthday, a party called a )'ol) or )*ol) is held. Family and friends gather to en$oy food together and offer the one!year!old gifts of money. Europe

n .ermany, a children's birthday celebration is called a .eburtstagsparty. %istorians attribute .ermans with the first birthday parties for kids. 8eople in %olland hang birthday calendars to remind them of the birth dates of all their family and friends. #dults often bring a birthday cake to work to share with co!workers on their special day. nstead of cake, 9ussian children are presented with pies, inscribed with a special birthday message. )Birthday bumps) are given to rish children in honor of their birthday. +hile held upside down, the birthday celebrant is gently bumped on the floor one time for every year of age ! plus one e"tra )bump) for good luck: (ending birthday cards is a custom that began in England about 3@@ years ago. 'oday, millions of cards are sent around the world each year to wish family and friends a happy birthday.

#nother old tradition still practiced by some English people is to make a birthday cake with symbolic ob$ects baked inside. n medieval times, ob$ects such as coins and thimbles were mi"ed into the batter. 8eople believed that the person who got the coin would be wealthy, while the unlucky finder of the thimble would never marry. 'oday, small figures, fake coins and small candies are more common. .uests are warned ahead of time as well, so no one in$ures their teeth or swallows a tiny treasure. *anish people fly the country's flag outside their home to signify that someone in the family is having a birthday. #nd while the birthday child is asleep, gifts are placed around the bed, so presents will be the first thing in view when the child awakes. >orwegian children dance in front of their class with a friend while the rest of the students sing a happy birthday song. >orway's national flag is also displayed outside the home of a birthday person. +hen important people have birthdays, the streets in >orway are decorated with flags. 2ike *anish and >orwegian people, (wedes like to use their national flag to decorate on birthdays and special occasions. (wedish children are often served breakfast in bed. Birthday cakes in (weden are similar to pound cakes and are decorated with mar-ipan. Anited (tates of #merica

'hroughout history, >ative #merican tribes have placed significance on milestones in a child's development rather than the day he or she was born. 'he day children take a first step is cause for $ust as much re$oicing as when they get married or become parents. 'he ma$ority of #merican children, however, celebrate birthdays with a cake topped with lighted candles. 6ost families use the candles to represent how old a person is turning, /i.e., one candle for a one!year! old, etc.0. +hen the cake is set before the guest of honor, he or she is supposed to make a wish /without telling anyone what it is0 and blow out the candles. f all the candles go out with one breath, it's believed that the wish will come true: (ome children receive birthday )spankings), which were originally based on superstition, but are now more a birthday prank or $oke. %undreds 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. #t 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.) %istorians are unsure if the practice of swatting the birthday girl or boy was treated as a $oke, as people view it today. (inging )%appy Birthday to ,ou) has also been a long!standing tradition on birthdays as well. t was written by two #merican sisters in 3BC=, and has been translated into several languages around the world.

Birthday's are the oldest holidays of them all, honored with celebrations since the start of civili-ation. #s soon as our ancestors noticed the moon's cycles and created a calendar to mark time, they became aware of special occasions that recur. Early cultures celebrated the anniversary of people's birth because they believed people were more vulnerable to evil spirits on their birthdays and being surrounded by fun would ward off bad fortune. 'his is the origin of the birthday party, to which people brought gifts as tokens of good fortune even thousands of years ago. 'here's a feature that makes birthdays like few other holidaysD ,our birthday is yours alone, allowing you to be surrounded by friends and family as the focus of the festivities: .ranted, millions of others on the planet have the same birthday, but they're not usually at your party: 'he song )%appy Birthday 'o ,our) is a relatively recent addition to the ritual. Composed in 3BC= by schoolteacher!sisters 6ildred and 8atty %ill as ).ood 6orning 'o ,ou,) the song was meant to be sung at the start of each school day. #ltered to salute pupils on their birthdays, it became famous as a birthday ditty and was copyrighted in 3C=4. it is still under copyright, and the %ills' descendants continue to receive royalties from its use in movies and 'E. />ow there's a very welcome birthday present:0 Birthday cakes were originally a custom in ancient .reece, which then re!emerged in .ermany during the 6iddle #ges. Back then the cake was really sweetened in preparation for the upcoming year with sweet wishes and the basic

nourishment of bread, the staff of life. Birthday candles are placed on cakes to carry wishes up to the heavens, and if all the candles are blown out in one try, the wishes will come true:

History of wedding anniversaries

%ave you ever wondered why particular items are chosen for specific wedding anniversaries1 f you know the history of the wedding anniversary, then you will see that wedding anniversaries have both traditional and modern material attached to them and we tend to follow these suggestions without &uestion. 'here was a time, before 3C=<, where only the first, every five years from the fifth to the F4th, 4@th, and <4th wedding anniversaries had a gift item associated against the year. 'he practice of certain gifts given on various wedding anniversaries originated in Central Europe. t was customary, among the medieval .ermans, for friends to give a wife a wreath of silver once she had been with her husband for twenty!five years. 'his gift symboli-ed the harmony, which was assumed to be necessary to make so many years of matrimony possible. 'he wife was presented with a wreath of gold on the fiftieth anniversary. %ence arose Gsilver weddingH and Ggolden wedding.H 'oday, we continue to practice this but with elaboration upon modern times. # history of wedding anniversaries is interesting in that we often go through life carrying on traditional practices without ever knowing why. 'he earliest know references are to (ilver /F4th +edding #nniversary0 and .old /4@th +edding #nniversary0. 'hese appear to originate in 6iddle Europe /.ermanic 9egion0 and involved the spouse giving his wife a silver garland when they had been married for F4 years. (ome European countries also celebrate 'welve and a half years of marriage using Copper as the #nniversary (ymbol. +e have found references to materials associated with specific years which follow the traditional anniversary lists for the first 4 years of marriage and then every 4th year up to F4th and then 4@th and <4th. 'he earliest reference we have found other than the (ilver or gold is to the 4th anniversary /+ood0 which implies this became the material for that anniversary around 3B<4. 'here are currently F *iamond #nniversaries, one at I@ and one at <4 years. 'he <4th anniversary is the original traditional diamond anniversary with the I@th being added when 5ueen Eictoria /English Empire 6onarch0 celebrated her *iamond ;ubilee on her I@th anniversary of accession to the throne in 3BC< and this has since been adopted as an appropriate +edding #nniversary also. n 3C=< the #merican >ational 9etail ;eweller #ssociation issued a more comprehensive list which associated a material for each #nniversary year up to the 34th #nniversary and then each fifth year after that up to the I@th #nniversary. #dditional lists are issued from time to time however the one &uoted above is more or less the de!facto list for the 'raditional names of +edding #nniversaries.