I walk by a house with giant birthday signs in the front yard. It is the latest craze. I often see front yards with big displays for birthdays. They are a very special time of year, a time when you — and only you, unless you are a twin, triplet, etc. — receive all the attention. As a child I can remember a birthday cake that was the giant skirt of the small doll stuck in the top. Of course, children’s birthdays are often bigger celebrations than those of adults. But milestone birthdays for adults can be quite elaborate or at least surprise celebrations. I know that the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses does not celebrate birthdays. I had a co-worker who was a Jehovah’s Witness, and I always felt a little sorry for her when we celebrated the birthdays of everyone else in the office. However, she didn’t seem to mind, was very strong in her belief. I know how birthdays are celebrated in the United States but am not sure what celebrations are like in other countries. Let’s find out.
According to Wikipedia, a birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or, figuratively, of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, birthday parties or rites of passage.
Many religions celebrate the birth of their founders or religious figures with special holidays e.g., Christmas, Mawlid, Buddha’s Birthday and Krishna Janmashtami.
There is a distinction between birthday and birthdate: The former, other than February 29, occurs each year — e.g., January 15 — while the latter is the exact date a person was born e.g., January 15, 2001.
Legal conventions
In most legal systems, one becomes designated as an adult on a particular birthday — usually between 12 and 21 — and reaching age-specific milestones confers particular rights and responsibilities. At certain ages, one may become eligible to leave full-time education, become subject to military conscription or to enlist in the military, to consent to sexual intercourse, to marry with parental consent, to marry without parental consent, to vote, to run for elected office, to legally purchase or consume alcohol and tobacco products, to purchase lottery tickets or to obtain a driver’s license. The age of majority is the age when minors cease to legally be considered children and assume control over their persons, actions and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of their parents or guardians over and for them. Most countries set the age of majority at 18, though it varies by jurisdiction.
Sweet sixteen
In Canada and the United States, families often mark a girl's 16th birthday with a “sweet sixteen” celebration — often represented in popular culture. While some families throw large, lavish celebrations, others choose to celebrate the birthday as if it were a normal occurrence. This event can be formal, casual or semi-formal.
While traditionally it is common that sweet sixteens are mostly celebrated by girls, they can also be celebrated by boys, who tend to celebrate with their friends on an informal basis. Sweet sixteens can range from modest parties at home with close family to large parties with a hired DJ, makeup, hair styling, expensive gowns and dresses and hotel ballrooms. Even if it is a small party, the main purpose of the party is to celebrate the person becoming "older" and entering a different stage of his or her life.
In countries such as the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the 16th birthday is eclipsed by a teenager's 18th birthday celebration, the age at which young people become adults and are allowed to vote and legally purchase alcohol.
Alternative sweet sixteen celebrations in the United States can include a religious or church ceremony also, like a mass or a blessing at church. This religious or church ceremony has its origins in the quinceañera style, but since there are many American-born Hispanics, many choose to blend a sweet sixteen American style with their quinceañera tradition. For example, the girl may go to the church for the religious ceremony and then choose to have the sixteen-candle ceremony. The religious ceremony comes from the Hispanic tradition, while the sixteen candles ceremony comes from the American tradition.
Quinceañera
The fiesta de quince años — also fiesta de quinceañera, quince años, quinceañera and quinces — is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday. It has its cultural roots in Mexico and is widely celebrated today by Latinos throughout Latin America. The girl celebrating her 15th birthday is a quinceañera — feminine form of "15-year-old." In Spanish and Latin countries, the term quinceañera is reserved solely for the honoree; in English, primarily in the United States, the term is used to refer to the celebrations and honors surrounding the occasion.
This birthday is celebrated differently from any other as it marks the transition from childhood to young womanhood. Historically, in the years prior to their 15th birthdays, girls were taught cooking, weaving and about childbearing by the elder women in their communities in preparation for their future roles as wives and during the celebration the girl's father would present her to potential suitors.
In the past, parallel customs could be found in the Iberian Peninsula and France. Today, the custom remains strongest in Mexico, its likely country of introduction. However, it is widely celebrated in Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas. The grandest parties are comparable to British and U.S. debtante balls. The celebrations themselves vary significantly in different countries; for example, the festivities in some have taken on more religious overtones than in others. Nowadays, the quinceañera is also celebrated by many Latino Americans in the United States, each according to their traditions.
Upanayana
Upanayana, Janai, janeau, poita or Yagnopavita is one of the traditional samskāras — rites of passage — that marked the acceptance of a student by a guru (teacher or tutor) and an individual's entrance to a school in Hinduism. The tradition is widely discussed in ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism and varies regionally. The sacred thread — yagyopavita or janeu — is received by the boy during this ceremony, that he continues wearing from left shoulder to the right crossing the chest thereafter. Generally, this ceremony should be done before the age of 16.
Vedic period texts such as the Baudhāyana Grihyasutra encouraged all members of society to undergo the upanayana, even manual workers or shudras. Women were encouraged to undergo upanayana in Bharat (present-day India) and Gorkha Kingdom (present-day Nepal) before they started Vedic studies or before their wedding.
Philippine debut
On her 18th birthday, a Filipino girl customarily throws a large party, similar to quinceañera or sweet sixteen, complete with her own hand-picked entourage of 18 individuals or multiple sets of 18. In most cases, the debutante may choose 18 roses and 18 candles if she wishes to. The sole purpose of the roses is to honor the closest male to the celebrant. This includes uncles, cousins, close friends, suitors or boyfriend. Most debut celebrations prefer the number of people participating add up to 18. This is why they keep it to 18 roses and 18 candles. The celebrant's court usually wears a formal dress, such as the Barong Tagalog or the western black tie.
A typical ceremony begins with a short prayer invoking blessings upon the debutante. She then enters and performs traditional dances with her court for their guests. The most important one is known as the "Grand Cotillion Dance," usually a waltz.
An "18 Roses Dance" or "9 Roses Dance" is also done, in which 18 or 9 males of the debutante's choice dance with her after presenting her with a single red rose or her favorite flower. This dance is almost always preceded or concluded with a "Father and Daughter Dance," and sometimes the father takes the place of the 18th or 9th rose — who is often the girl's significant other. An older male relative, such as a grandfather, may take the father's place if the latter is unavailable or deceased.
The debutante also has 18 or 9 "candles," presented by female friends or relations. Each delivers a short speech about her relationship with the celebrant and any special greeting and lights a candle that is either in her hand or placed in a stand.
Music and other performances are usually interspersed between the "18 items" "9 items" rites, while dinner and sometimes alcohol are served. A birthday cake ceremony often occurs, and a fireworks display may conclude more extravagant parties. The night ends with the debutante's speech, in which she shares her thoughts on life and extends her gratitude towards her guests.
Recent additions to the ceremony are the "18 Treasures," in which 18 individuals — male or female — each present the debutante with a gift. These usually also involve a speech from each individual, but unlike the roses and candles sets, these groups are of mixed gender.
Others involve material presents for the debutante, such as the 18 shoes and the 18 bills. A "blue bill" in the context of this ceremony refers to the Philippine one-thousand peso note, which is blue.
Lastly, there are the optional 18 white roses. If the debutante is missing a figure in her life such as a father, she chooses her 18 white roses in place of that figure.
Sexagenary cycle
In some Asian countries that follow the zodiac calendar, there is a tradition of celebrating the 60th birthday. The sexagenary cycle — also known as the Stems-and-Branches or ganzhi — is a cycle of 60 terms, each corresponding to one year, thus a total of 60 years for one cycle, historically used for reckoning time in China and the rest of the East Asian cultural sphere. It appears as a means of recording days in the first Chinese written texts, the Shang oracle bones of the late second millennium BC. Its use to record years began around the middle of the 3rd century BC. The cycle and its variations have been an important part of the traditional calendrical systems in Chinese-influenced Asian states and territories, particularly those of Japan, Korea and Vietnam, with the old Chinese system still in use in Taiwan, and to a lesser extent in mainland China.
This traditional method of numbering days and years no longer has any significant role in modern Chinese timekeeping or the official calendar. However, the sexagenary cycle is used in the names of many historical events, such as the Chinese Xinhai Revolution, Japanese Boshin War, Korean Imjin War and the Vietnamese Tet Mau Than. It also continues to have a role in contemporary Chinese astrology and fortune-telling. There are some parallels in this with the current 60-year cycle of the Tamil calendar.
Baek-il
In Korea, many celebrate a traditional ceremony of Baek-il or Feast for the 100th Day since the birth of a child. During this celebration, the family worships Samshin. They make her offerings of rice and soup for having cared for the infant and the mother and for having helped them live through a difficult period. They give thanks to Samshin and also pray for jae-ak or wealth, longevity and cho-bok, the traditional word for "luck." After the prayer the family, relatives and friends celebrate with rice cakes, wine and other delicacies such as red and black bean cakes sweetened with sugar or honey. In order to protect the child, red bean rice cakes are placed at the four compass points of the house. This not only brought protection but was also believed to bring good fortune and happiness. It is widely believed that if 100 people share the rice cakes the child will live a long life, so the family would also send rice cakes to neighbors and others. Those who receive rice cakes return the dishes with lengths of thread — expressing the hope for longevity, rice and money, symbolizing future wealth.
Coming of Age Day
Coming of Age Day is a Japanese holiday held annually on the second Monday of January. It is held in order to congratulate and encourage all those who have reached or will reach the age of maturity or 20 between April 2 of the previous year and April 1 of the current year, and to help them realize that they have become adults. Festivities include coming of age ceremonies held at local and prefectural offices, as well as after-parties among family and friends.
Coming of age ceremonies have been celebrated in Japan since at least 714 CE, during the reign of Empress Genmei when a young prince donned new robes and a hairstyle to mark his passage into adulthood. The holiday was first established in 1948, to be held every year on January 15. In 2000, as a result of the Happy Monday System, Coming of Age Day was changed to the second Monday in January.
Japan's low birth rate and shrinking percentage of young people, coupled with disruptions to some ceremonies in recent years — such as an incident in Naha in 2002, when drunken Japanese youths tried to disrupt the festivities — and a general increase in the number of 20-year-olds who do not feel themselves to be adults have led to decreased attendance of the ceremonies, which has caused some concern among older Japanese. In 2012, the decline continued for the fifth year in a row, with a total of 1.22 million adults celebrating the holiday in 2012 — under half of the participants seen at its peak in 1976, when 2.76 million adults attended ceremonies. This was the first time it declined below the 50% threshold. Japan lowered the age of adulthood in 2018 from 20 years of age to 18 which is set to take effect in 2022. This change has caused confusion on the status of the holiday and raised concerns among the kimono industry which profits from the garments worn during the ceremonies.
The ceremonies are generally held in the morning at local city offices throughout Japan. Government officials give speeches, and small presents are handed out to the newly recognized adults.
Many women celebrate this day by wearing furisode — a style of kimono with long sleeves that hang down — and zōri sandals. Since most are unable to put on a kimono by themselves due to the intricacies involved, many choose to visit a beauty salon to dress and to set their hair. A full set of formal clothing is expensive, so it is usually either borrowed from a relative or rented rather than bought especially for the occasion. Men sometimes also wear traditional dress — e.g., dark kimono with hakama — but nowadays many men wear formal Western clothes such as a suit and tie more often than the traditional hakama. After the ceremony, the young adults often celebrate in groups by going to parties or going out drinking.
The ceremony often takes place in the city hall or school's gyms. There are some special cases such as the ceremony having been held at Toyko Disneyland since 2002.
Ghanaian children’s birthdays
In Ghana, on their birthdays, children wake up to a special treat called "oto" which is a patty made from mashed sweet potato and eggs fried in palm oil. Later, they have a birthday party where they usually eat stew and rice and a dish known as "kelewele," which is fried plantain chunks.
Bar or bat mitzvah
Bar mitzvah is a Jewish coming of age ritual for boys, whereas bat mitzvah is the equivalent for girls. The plural is b'nai mitzvah for boys or mixed sex groups and b'not mitzvah for girls.
According to Jewish law, when a Jewish boy is 13 years old, he becomes accountable for his actions and becomes a bar mitzvah. A girl becomes a bat mitzvah at the age of 12 according to Orthodox and Conservative Jews, and at the age of 13 for Reform Jews. Before the child reaches bar mitzvah age, parents hold the responsibility for their child's actions. After this age, the boys and girls bear their own responsibility for Jewish ritual law, tradition and ethics, and are able to participate in all areas of Jewish community life. Traditionally, the father of the bar mitzvah gives thanks to God that he is no longer punished for the child's sins. In addition to being considered accountable for their actions from a religious perspective, a 13-year-old male may be counted towards an Orthodox prayer quorum and may lead prayer and other religious services in the family and the community.
Bar mitzvah is mentioned in the Mishnah and in the Talmud. In some classic sources, the age of 13 appears for instance as the age from which males must fast on Yom Kippur, while females fast from the age of 12. The age of B'nai mitzvah roughly coincides with physical puberty. The bar or bat mitzvah ceremony is usually held on the first Shabbat after a boy's 13th and a girl's 12th birthday or 13th in Reform congregations.
Traditions
In many parts of the world an individual's birthday is celebrated by a party where a specially made cake, usually decorated with lettering and the person's age, is presented. The cake is traditionally studded with the same number of lit candles as the age of the individual or a number candle representing their age. The celebrated individual will usually make a silent wish and attempt to blow out the candles in one breath; if successful, a tradition holds that the wish will be granted. In many cultures, the wish must be kept secret or it won't come true. Presents are bestowed on the individual by the guests appropriate to their age. Other birthday activities may include entertainment — sometimes by a hired professional i.e., a clown, magician or musician — and a special toast or speech by the birthday celebrant. The last stanza of Patty Hill’s and Mildred Hill’s famous song, "Good Morning to You," unofficially titled "Happy Birthday to You," is typically sung by the guests at some point in the proceedings. In some countries a piñata takes the place of a cake.
Name Day
In some historically Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox countries such as Italy, Spain, France, parts of Germany, Poland, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia and throughout Latin America, it is common to have a Name Day/Saint’s Day. It is celebrated in much the same way as a birthday, but it is held on the official day of a saint with the same Christian name as the birthday person; the difference being that one may look up a person's name day in a calendar, or easily remember common name days — for example, 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 possibly the name of a feast, for example, Noel or Pascal (French for Christmas and "of Easter"); as another example, Italian politician Togliatti was given Palmiro as his first name because he was born on Palm Sunday.
Birthday distribution
According to a public database of births, birthdays in the United States are quite evenly distributed for the most part, but there tend to be more births in September and October. This may be because there is a holiday season nine months before or because the longest nights of the year also occur in the Northern Hemisphere nine months before. However, it appears the holidays have more of an effect on birth rates than the winter: New Zealand, a Southern Hemisphere country, has the same September and October peak with no corresponding peak in March and April. The least common birthdays tend to fall around public holidays, such as Christmas, New Year's Day and fixed-date holidays such as July 4 in the U.S.
Based on Harvard University research of birth records in the United States between 1973 and 1999, September 16 is the most common birthday in the United States and December 25 the least common birthday — other than February 29, because of leap years. In 2011, October 5 and 6 were reported as the most frequently occurring birthdays.
In New Zealand, the most common birthday is September 29, and the least common birthday is December 25. The ten most common birthdays all fall within a 13-day period, between September 22 and October 4. The ten least common birthdays — other than February 29 — are December 24–27, January 1–2, February 6, March 22, April 1 and April 25. This is based on all live births registered in New Zealand between 1980 and 2017.
According to a study by the Yale School of Public Health, positive and negative associations with culturally significant dates may influence birth rates. The study shows a 5.3% decrease in spontaneous births and a 16.9% decrease in Caesarean births on Halloween, compared to dates occurring within one week before and one week after the October holiday. In contrast, on Valentine's Day there is a 3.6% increase in spontaneous births and a 12.1% increase in Caesarean births.
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