5 Birthday Traditions Traced Back To The Beginning Of Time
Birthdays are much awaited every year and are synonyms of fun and frolic for everyone. The day when you or your loved one feel special and the celebration just won’t seem to start. Every individual wishes to make it memorable in his/her own way. Some opt for fun, grand parties while some prefer silent ways to give it back to the world, whatever one may choose, there is no denying that birthdays are the reminder that a life was born on this day to bring a good vibe to the world and of course, it hosts fun, enjoyment and feel good factor.
photo Francesca Cesa Bianchi, Milano
The most awaited 24 hours of the year is all about wishes, smiles, gifts and while the celebration might be different for each and every one but there are some traditions that stand true with the teats of time and couldn’t be ignored at all and to cut a birthday cake is the foremost of those traditions. Innumerable flavours carrying scrumptious taste, a birthday is unimaginable without a cake. In this article we are going to trace the elements of these traditions till way back in time to know how it all started:
Thank You, Germany
The traditions to cut a birthday cake started in Germany in the Middle Ages. The birthdays of children were celebrated with cake and the celebration was known as Kinderfest. The cakes at that time were not less sweet and more coarse. With time, the sweeter and softer version was developed known as Geburtstagorten.
One Candle At A Time
Credit goes to Ancient Greeks for this tradition exuding light and glow. In ancient times, Greeks used to prepare round cakes to honour Goddess Artemis. The candles were lit on the cake to resemble the light of the moon and it was believed that the smoke from candles carried their prayers to the goddess. In another lore, the candles were placed on cakes in Germany for the first time, where each candle represents one year of the person’s life. Whichever is true, we love candles on the cake and blowing them out while making a wish.
The Birthday Song
We all are familiar to the six-note tune of famous Happy Birthday song which has made its way into every nook and cranny in the world. Well, the tune was originally created by the Hill sisters, Mildred and Patty who sang “Good Morning To All” in 1893 in a kindergarten school. Undoubtedly, the tune was catchy and became popular in quite less time. Later the word ‘birthday’ sneaked in and to this day we are singing the tune with much merry and joy.
The Most Common Birth Date
Every day thousands and millions of people celebrate their birthday but did you know that there is one date that accommodates most birthdays worldwide since a long time? And the date is drumroll please, 5th October. The reason behind it, no one could tell but that’s what the data says.
The Birthday Celebration
Although Germans had already started the tradition, it didn’t catch much popularity until the church endorsed it. Earlier, the church was against the birthday celebration as it considered it to be related to an ancient pagan tradition. These yearly milestones of a person’s life were considered to be lurked by spirits. Later, the church accepted the birthday celebration and started by celebrating the birthday of Lord Jesus Christ on 25th December. Since then, the celebration gained popularity worldwide.
If you have an upcoming birthday or some you love is turning a year older soon, then try to send cakes online to them and surprise them at midnight to make the special day filled with joyous memories.
Author: Samon Rathi
