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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 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 Iranian cult of Mithraism 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 Day s 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 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 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.
: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:
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 Year s, 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 Racehorse s 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. A variety of traditional astrological systems exists outside the West and further discussion can be found at the relevant article. BIRTHDAY GIFT SYMBOLISM Birthstones A birthstone is a gift of a precious material (jewelry, mainly Gemstone s; 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 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
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