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Birthday

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File:Niki first birthday.jpg
A child on her first birthday

A birthday is the date on which a person was born. It is customary in many cultures to celebrate the anniversary of one's birthday in some way, for example by having a birthday party with classmates, friends, family, and even kids in which gifts are given. It is also customary to treat people special 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 originally Iranian cult of Mithras in the Roman Empire. Prior to 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.

Festive

Birthday Cake

In most English-speaking countries it is traditional to sing the song Happy Birthday to You to the honored person celebrating their birthday. Similar songs exist in other languages, such as "Lang zal hij/zij leven" in Dutch, "Zum Geburstag Viel Glück" in German, or "Sto lat" in Polish. This happens traditionally at a birthday party while someone brings a birthday cake into the (often darkened) 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 (this tradition becomes very difficult for people of roughly 40 years or older, and is often abandoned far earlier, as it can feel a bit childish or just isn't worth the fuss among adults; sometimes alternatively, the candles used to decorate the cake come in two sizes: the bigger candles each represent 10 years, while the smaller ones each represent one). 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, especially if the wish is for cake. Another common superstition is that if you reveal your birthday wish, it won't come true. Except in the case of young children, it is also very common for the "birthday boy" or "birthday girl" to cut the initial piece of the cake like the couple does with a wedding cake.

The singing of the song may also sometimes happen wherever when one gets taken out for their birthday. At some restaurants the server(s) may lead the singing of the song while dessert is delivered to the table (which is often a piece of cake, and is occasionally complimentary). The dessert sometimes may feature a sparkler instead of a candle. Other customers at the restaurant might sometimes join in for the singing of the song. There are also some restaurants where the servers perform special, modern, original birthday songs and dances.

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 one's 5th birthday there may be only one candle on the cake in the shape of the numeral 5, and on one's 50th 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 contrast, many adults loathe the reminder that they are continually getting older. In addition to parties, people often get gifts on their birthday. Often, the honored person gets a "birthday hug" from friends and family. For older people a birthday may be a prompt for their grown-up children to write or call.
  • Birthday parties for children often include fun games, like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, musical chairs and hitting piñatas. For adults, the parties tend to be more formal, such as a nice dinner at a restaurant. Despite the age, these parties have the intent of making the honored person very happy. In jest, the birthday is sometimes referred to as the "Best day of the year" and the day after the birthday is the "worst day of the year" since one must wait a whole year for their next birthday!
  • There are also traditions of surprise parties. This sometimes causes people to feel ignored because it appears their birthday has been forgotten, when actually it has not been mentioned because a surprise party has been planned. Conversely, some people do not mention that nothing is planned for their birthday, because they expect a surprise party.
  • Still 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 (not always compensated for by a gift)
  • Another tradition enjoyed by girls that was popularized in the 1950s and 60s, is that of receiving a special corsage (or several) that was decorated with candy or another inexpensive item that corresponded to your age. The items were priced within reach of one's peer group and all light enough so they could fasten easily to curly ribbon 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 - cigarettes

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 literally come to earth 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 his arm that equate to his age (e.g. 14 punches on the arm for a 14 year old). 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 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, 20th, 50th, or 100th birthdays.
  • One's golden birthday, also called a champagne birthday, is the day when the age one turns and the date of birth coincide (e.g. someone turning 20 on September 20th celebrates his golden birthday).
  • 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 (e.g. alcohol, tobacco), 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. In Reform and Conservative Judaism, Jewish girls observe a bat mitzvah on or around their 12th or 13th birthday while in Orthodox Judaism, girls observe it on or around their 12th birthday.
    • 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.
    • Many girls in the USA have "sweet sixteen" birthday parties.
    • In countries where, as in the US, the drinking age is strictly enforced, it is often typical to become intoxicated with one's friends as soon as legal; some bars facilitate this through drink specials or the like. In countries where age restrictions on alcohol are loosely enforced, this phenomenon may be less common.
  • The birthdays of historically significant people, like Jesus Christ, the Prophet Muhammad, or the father of the fatherland, are often commemorated by an official holiday, some saints are remembered by a liturgical feast (sometimes on a presumed birthday). By analogy, the Latin term Dies natalis 'birthday' is applied to the anniversary of an institution (such as a university)

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:

While it is uncommon to have an official holiday for a republican head of state's birthday, this can become a permant posthumous honour, especially in the case of a so-called father of the fatherland, e.g. George Washington (best known as Presidents' Day, which sounds like the incumbent's party; also celebrated in the US is Lincoln's Birthday)

In cases where a historical figure's actual birthday is unknown, e.g. Jesus, it is common for a particular date to be substituted.

Children who are born on the leap day 29 February, which only occurs during leap years, often celebrate their birthday annually 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 (e.g. John or Mary); 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 (French for Christmas viz. Easter). 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.

All racehorses traditionally celebrate their birthday on (i.e. calculate their age in years from) 1 August in the Southern Hemisphere, and on 1 January in the Northern Hemisphere.

Astrology

The modern astrological sun sign that one is born under depends on one's birthday; using a precise time of birth, a natal chart can be calculated with a computer or by hand. A variety of traditional astrological systems exists outside the West, and further discussion can be found at the relevant article.


poopy poopy poopy!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Birthday gift symbolism

Birthstones

A birthstone is a gift of a precious material (jewelry, mainly gemstones; themselves traditionally associated with various qualities) that symbolizes the month of birth (in the Gregorian Calendar).

It is sometimes also called birthday stone (cf. infra; but that word is, confusingly, sometimes used as a synonym for an anniversary gift, which is related to the recipient's age, i.e. year of birth).

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 (a jeweler's 'modern' list states they are selected for bright colors) and Thailand:

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 (see above), there is a separate list of assignment according to the day of the week of the recipient's birth:

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 11:30am 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.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Birthday.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Birthday.
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