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Birthday

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, seeBirthday (disambiguation).

Birthday cakesare very commonplace in birthday celebrations. Here, aBlack Forest cakeis adorned withcandlesand a topper indicating the recipient's 40th birthday.

Abirthdayis theanniversaryof thebirthof a person, or figuratively of aninstitution.Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthdaygifts,birthday cards,abirthday party,or arite of passage.

Many religions celebrate the birth of their founders or religious figures with special holidays (e.g.Christmas,Mawlid,Buddha's Birthday,Krishna JanmashtamiandGurpurb).

There is a distinction between birthdayand birthdate(also known as date of birth): the former, except forFebruary 29,occurs each year (e.g. January 15), while the latter is the complete date when a person was born (e.g. January 15, 2001).

In most legal systems, one becomes a legal adult on a particular birthday when they reach theage of majority(usually between 12 and 21), and reaching age-specific milestones confers particular rights and responsibilities. At certain ages, one may become eligible to leavefull-time education,become subject tomilitary conscriptionor to enlist in the military, toconsent to sexual intercourse,tomarrywithparental consent,to marry without parental consent, tovote,to run for elected office, to legally purchase (or consume)alcoholandtobaccoproducts, to purchaselotterytickets, or to obtain adriver's licence.Theage of majorityis 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.

A one-year-old girl playing with her birthday balloons in Bangladesh

Cultural conventions

A 90th birthday celebration at home

Many cultures have one or morecoming of agebirthdays:

  • In Canada and the United States, families often mark a girl's 16th birthday with a"sweet sixteen"celebration – often represented in popular culture.
  • In some Hispanic countries, as well as in Portuguese-speaking Brazil, thequinceañera(Spanish) orfesta de quinze anos(Portuguese) celebration traditionally marks a girl's 15th birthday.[1]
  • In the Philippines, a coming-of-age party called adebutis held for young women on their 18th birthday, and for young men on their 21st birthday.
  • In some Asian countries that follow thezodiac calendar,there is atradition of celebrating the 60th birthday.
  • In Korea, many celebrate a traditional ceremony ofBaek-il(Feast for the 100th day) andDoljanchi(child's first birthday).
  • In Japan, there is aComing of Age Day,for all of those who have turned 18 years of age.
  • In British Commonwealth nations cards from theRoyal Familyare sent to those celebrating their 100th and 105th birthday and every year thereafter.[2]
  • In Ghana, on their birthday, children wake up to a special treat called "oto" which is a patty made from mashed sweet potato and eggs fried inpalm oil.Later they have a birthday party where they usually eat stew and rice and a dish known as "kelewele", which is friedplantainchunks.[citation needed]
  • Jewish boys have abar mitzvahon their 13th birthday. Jewish girls have abat mitzvahon their 12th birthday, or sometimes on their 13th birthday inReformandConservativeJudaism. This marks the transition where they become obligated incommandmentsfrom which they were previously exempted and are counted as part of thecommunity.[3]

The birthdays of historically significant people, such as national heroes or founders, are often commemorated by an officialholidaymarking the anniversary of their birth.

  • Catholic saints are remembered by a liturgical feast on the anniversary of their "birth" into heaven a.k.a. their day of death. The ancient Romans marked the anniversary of a temple dedication or other founding event as adies natalis,a term still sometimes applied to the anniversary of an institution (such as a university).

An individual's Beddian birthday, named in tribute to firefighter Bobby Beddia,[4]occurs during the year that their age matches the last two digits of the year they were born.[5]

In many cultures and jurisdictions, if a person's real birthday is not known (for example, if they are an orphan), then their birthday may be adopted or assigned to a specific day of the year, such as January 1.[6]The birthday ofJesusis celebrated atChristmas.Racehorses are reckoned to become one year old in the year following their birth on January 1 in the Northern Hemisphere and August 1 in the Southern Hemisphere.

Traditions

Child with Snow White cake, circa 1910–1940.
A Korean child's birthday party at home
A voicemail from a child wishing his mother a happy birthday

In certain parts of the world, an individual's birthday is celebrated by a party featuring aspecially made cake.It may be decorated with lettering and the person's age, or studded with the same number of litcandlesas the age of the individual. The celebrated individual may make a silent wish and attempt to blow out the candles in one breath; if successful, superstition holds that the wish will be granted. In many cultures, the wish must be kept secret or it will not "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 ofPatty Hill's andMildred 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, apiñatatakes the place of a cake.

  • Examples of birthday cakes
  • Birthday cake with lit candles
    Birthday cake with lit candles
  • Birthday cake with name and age
    Birthday cake with name and age
  • Strawberry shortcake with one candle
    Strawberry shortcake with one candle
  • Close-up of candles before lighting
    Close-up of candles before lighting
  • Wikipedia birthday cake with no candles
    Wikipedia birthday cake with no candles

Name days

Main article:Name day

In some historically Roman Catholic andEastern Orthodoxcountries,[a]it is common to have a 'name day', otherwise known as a '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,JohnorMary); however in pious traditions, the two were often made to concur by giving a newborn the name of a saint celebrated on its day ofconfirmation,more seldom one's birthday. Some are given the name of the religious feast of their christening's day or birthday, for example,NoelorPascal(French for Christmas and "of Easter" ); as another example,Togliattiwas givenPalmiroas his first name because he was born onPalm Sunday.

Official birthdays

Colored lanterns at the Lotus Lantern Festival inSeoul,South Korea,celebrating the anniversary of theBuddha's birthday

Some notables, particularly monarchs, have anofficial birthdayon a fixed day of the year, which may not necessarily match the day of their birth, but on which celebrations are held. Examples are:

Distribution through the year

Interactive heat mapof the birth ratio of each day of the year to the annual average in the US (top) and in England and Wales (bottom). Numbers over 1 (shown in red) indicate more births than average were recorded for that day.
A birthday cake for an 18th birthday
Some restaurants place a birthday candle on the dessert of a birthday customer's choice
A young child preparing to extinguish the candle of his first birthday – 1983

Birthdays are fairly evenly distributed through the year, with some seasonal effects.[8][9]

In the United States, there tend to be more births in September and October.[10]This may be because there is aholiday seasonnine months before (the humangestation periodis about nine months), or because the longest nights of the year also occur in theNorthern Hemispherenine 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.[11]The least common birthdays tend to fall around public holidays, such as Christmas, New Year's Day and fixed-date holidays such asJuly 4in the US.

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).[12]In 2011, October 5 and 6 were reported as the most frequently occurring birthdays.[13]

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 thirteen-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 andApril 25.This is based on all live births registered in New Zealand between 1980 and 2017.[11]

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.[14]

In Sweden 9.3% of the population is born in March and 7.3% in November when a uniform distribution would give 8.3%.[15]

Leap day

In theGregorian calendar(a commonsolar calendar),Februaryin aleap yearhas 29 days instead of the usual 28, so the year lasts 366 days instead of the usual 365.

A person born onFebruary 29may be called a "leapling"or a" leaper ".[16]In common years, they usually celebrate their birthdays on February 28. In some situations, March 1 is used as the birthday in a non-leap year since it is the day following February 28.

Technically, a leapling will have fewerbirthday anniversariesthan their age in years. This phenomenon is exploited when a person claims to be only a quarter of their actual age, by counting their leap-year birthday anniversaries only. InGilbert and Sullivan's 1879comic operaThe Pirates of Penzance,Frederic the pirate apprentice discovers that he is bound to serve the pirates until his 21stbirthdayrather than until his 21styear.For legal purposes, legal birthdays depend on how local laws count time intervals.

Statistical risk of dying

Some studies show people are more likely to die on their birthdays, with explanations including excessive drinking, suicide, cardiovascular events due to high stress or happiness, efforts to postpone death for major social events, and death certificate paperwork errors.[17]

By religion

Judaism

InJudaism,therabbisare divided about celebrating this custom, although it is accepted by the majority of the faithful. In theTorahthe only mention that is made of the birthday, refers to the celebration of Pharaoh's birthday in Egypt, as recorded in Genesis (Parashat Vaieshev) 40:20.[18]

Christianity

Early centuries

Origenin his commentary "On Levites" wrote that Christians should not only refrain from celebrating their birthdays, but should look on them with disgust as apagancustom.[19]Saint's dayswere typically celebrated on theanniversaryof theirmartyrdomor death, considered the occasion of or preparation for their entrance intoHeavenor theNew Jerusalem.

Medieval

Ordinary folk celebrated their saint's day (the saint they were named after), but nobility celebrated the anniversary of their birth.[citation needed]The "Squire's Tale", one of Chaucer'sCanterbury Tales,opens as King Cambuskan proclaims a feast to celebrate his birthday.[20]

Modern

TheCatholic Church,theEastern Orthodox ChurchandProtestantism,i.e. the three main branches ofChristianity,as well as almost all Christian religious denominations, consider celebrating birthdays acceptable or at most a choice of the individual. An exception areJehovah's Witnesses,who do not celebrate them for various reasons: in their interpretation this feast has pagan origins, was not celebrated by early Christians, is negatively expounded in theHoly Scripturesand has customs linked tosuperstitionandmagic.[21]

Islam

The birthday does not reflect Islamic tradition, and because of this, the majority ofMuslimsrefrain from celebrating it. Others do not object, as long as it is not accompanied by behavior contrary to Islamic tradition.[22][23]A good portion of Muslims (andArab Christians) who have emigrated to theUnited StatesandEuropecelebrate birthdays as customary especially for children, while some abstain.[24]

There is also much controversy regarding the permissibility of celebratingMawlid,(the anniversary of the birth ofMuhammad), as some Muslims judge the custom as an unacceptable practice according to Islamic tradition.[25]

Buddhism (Mahayana)

Main article:Buddha's birthday

Many monasteries celebrate the anniversary of Buddha's birth, usually in a highly formal, ritualized manner. They treat Buddha's statue as if it was Buddha himself, as if he were alive; bathing, and "feeding" him.[26]

Hinduism

Hindus celebrate the birth anniversary day every year when the day that corresponds to the lunar month or solar month (Sun Signs Nirayana System – Sourava Mana Masa) of birth and has the same asterism (Star/Nakshatra) as that of the date of birth. That age is reckoned whenever JanmaNakshatraof the same month passes.

Hindus regard death to be more auspicious than birth, since the person is liberated from the bondages of material society. Also, traditionally, rituals & prayers for the departed are observed on 5th and 11th day with many relatives gathering.

Sikhism

Sikhs celebrate the anniversary of the birth ofGuru Nanakand otherSikh Guruswhich is known asGurpurb.

By region

Ancient Persia

According toHerodotus(5th century BC), of all the days in the year, the one which thePersianscelebrate most is their birthday. It was customary to have the board furnished on that day with an ampler supply than common: the richer people eat wholly baked cow, horse, camel, or donkey (Greek:ὄνον), while the poorer classes use instead the smaller kinds of cattle.[27][28]

Ancient Rome

The Romans enthusiastically celebrated birthdays with hedonistic parties and generous presents.[29]

China

See also:Chinese first birthday,Chinese calendar,andEast Asian age reckoning

The Chinese word for "year(s) old"(tTuổi,sTuổi,suì) is entirely different from the usual word for "year(s)" (Năm,nián), reflecting the former importance ofChinese astrologyand the belief that one'sfatewas bound to thestars imagined to be in oppositionto the planetJupiterat the time of one's birth. The importance ofthis duodecennial orbital cycleonly survives in popular culture as the 12 animals of theChinese zodiac,which change eachChinese New Yearand may be used as a theme for some gifts or decorations. Because of the importance attached to the influence of these stars in ancient China and throughout theSinosphere,East Asian age reckoningpreviously began with one at birth and then added years at each Chinese New Year, so that it formed a record of thesuìone had lived through rather than of the exact amount of time from one's birth. This method—which can differ by as much as two years of age from other systems—is increasingly uncommon and is not used for official purposes in thePRCor onTaiwan,although the wordsuìis still used for describing age.

Traditionally, Chinese birthdays—when celebrated—were reckoned using thelunisolar calendar,which varies from the Gregorian calendar by as much as a month forward or backward depending on the year. Celebrating the lunisolar birthday remains common onTaiwanwhile growing increasingly uncommon on the mainland. Birthday traditions reflected the culture's deep-seated focus onlongevityand wordplay. From the homophony insome dialectsbetweenRượu( "rice wine") andLâu(meaning "long" in the sense of time passing),osmanthusand otherrice winesare traditional gifts for birthdays inChina.Longevity noodlesare another traditional food consumed on the day,[30]although western-style birthday cakes are increasingly common among urban Chinese.Hongbaos—red envelopes stuffed with money, now especially thered100 RMB notes—are the usual gift from relatives and close family friends for most children. Gifts for adults on their birthday are much less common, although the birthday for each decade is a larger occasion that might prompt a large dinner and celebration.

Japan

The Japanese reckoned their birthdays by the Chinese system until theMeiji Reforms.Celebrations remained uncommon or muted until after theAmerican occupationthat followedWorld War II.[citation needed]Children's birthday parties are the most important, typically celebrated with a cake, candles, and singing. Adults often just celebrate with their partner.

North Korea

InNorth Korea,theDay of the Sun,Kim Il Sung's birthday, is the most important public holiday of the country,[31]andKim Jong Il's birthday is celebrated as theDay of the Shining Star.[32]North Koreans are not permitted to celebrate birthdays on July 8 and December 17 because these were the dates of thedeaths of Kim Il SungandKim Jong Il,respectively. More than 100,000 North Koreans celebrate displaced birthdays on July 9 and December 18 instead to avoid these dates. A person born on July 8 before 1994 may change their birthday, with official recognition.[33]

South Korea

See also:Korean birthday celebrationsandKorean first birthday celebration

South Korea was one of the last countries to use a form ofEast Asian age reckoningfor many official purposes.[34]Prior to June 2023, three systems were used together— "Korean ages" that start with 1 at birth and increase everyJanuary 1stwith theGregorianNew Year,"year ages" that start with 0 at birth and otherwise increase the same way, and "actual ages" that start with 0 at birth and increase each birthday.[35]First birthday celebrationswere heavily celebrated, despite usually having little to do with the child's age. In June 2023, all Korean ages were set back at least one year and official ages henceforth are reckoned only by birthdays.[36]

See also

References

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  2. ^Queen and anniversary messages.Royal.gov.uk. Retrieved on 2013-01-01.ArchivedFebruary 15, 2009, at theWayback Machine
  3. ^Rabbi Shraga (17 January 2000)."ABC's of Bar/Bat Mitzvah".Aish – The Jewish Website.Archived fromthe originalon 14 November 2012.Retrieved1 January2013.
  4. ^A Firefighter's TheoremArchived2014-12-27 at theWayback Machine.Newyorker. Retrieved on 2014-12-27.
  5. ^Beddian TheoryArchived2014-12-27 at theWayback Machine.Dustbury. Retrieved on 2014-12-27.
  6. ^On New Year's Day, wish a 'Happy Birthday' to 202,000 refugeesArchived2012-05-11 at theWayback Machine.syracuse. Retrieved on 2013-01-01.
  7. ^"Kim Jong-un's birthday remains unmarked in 2019 calendars".The Korean Herald.Yonhap. 4 December 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 22 December 2018.Retrieved22 December2018.
  8. ^Murphy, Ron."An Analysis of the Distribution of Birthdays in a Calendar Year".Archivedfrom the original on 2001-05-26.Retrieved2011-12-27.
  9. ^Mathers, C D; R S Harris (1983). "Seasonal Distribution of Births in Australia".International Journal of Epidemiology.12(3): 326–331.doi:10.1093/ije/12.3.326.PMID6629621.
  10. ^"Anybirthday Birthdate Search".American Automated Systems. Archived from the original on 20 October 2009.Retrieved1 October2009.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ab"Most common birthday in New Zealand".Statistics New Zealand.Archivedfrom the original on 2 October 2018.Retrieved2 October2018.
  12. ^"How Common Is Your Birthday?".The New York Times.2006-12-19.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-02-12.Retrieved2017-02-21.
  13. ^Christina Ng (2011-10-05)Oct. 5: America’s Most Common BirthdayArchived2020-07-26 at theWayback MachineABC News
  14. ^Greenwood, Michael. (2011-10-10)Halloween, Valentine’s Day Found to Influence Birth TimingArchived2013-06-09 at theWayback Machine.Publichealth.yale.edu. Retrieved on 2013-01-01.
  15. ^"Swedish statistics board"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 2019-03-02.Retrieved2021-11-09.
  16. ^Hall, C. (February 29, 2008), "Leap Year Babies Hop Through Hoops of Joy, Pain of Novelty Birthday",Detroit Free Press
  17. ^Kelly, DB (August 25, 2021)."Here's Why You're Likely To Die On Your Birthday".
  18. ^Lebovits, Dovid."Happy Birthday"(PDF).Halachically Speaking.9(11): 1–11.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2022-06-09.Retrieved2022-04-12.
  19. ^John Bugge (1975).Early Christians,”notes The World Book Encyclopedia, “considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.” The ancient Greeks, for instance, believed that each person had a protective spirit that attended the person’s birth and thereafter watched over him. That spirit “had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born,” says the book The Lore of Birthdays. Birthdays also have a long-standing and an intimate link with astrology and the horoscope.11 Besides rejecting birthday customs on account of pagan and spiritistic roots, God’s servants of old likely rejected them on principle as well. Why? These were humble, modest men and women who did not view their arrival in the world as so important that it should be celebrated. (Micah 6:8; Luke 9:48) Rather, they glorified Jehovah and thanked him for the precious gift of life.—Psalm 8:3, 4; 36:9; Revelation 4:11.Virginitas: an essay in the history of a medieval ideal,SpringerISBN9024716950,p. 69
  20. ^Margaret Hallissy (1995)A Companion to Chaucer's Canterbury TalesArchived2023-09-06 at theWayback Machine,Greenwood Publishing GroupISBN0313291896,p. 300
  21. ^"Why Don't Jehovah's Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays? | FAQ".JW.ORG.Archivedfrom the original on 5 May 2022.Retrieved15 April2022.
  22. ^Birthday parties | IslamToday – EnglishArchived2012-06-28 at theWayback Machine.En.islamtoday.net. Retrieved on 2013-01-01.
  23. ^Souhail Karam (2008-08-31)."Birthday parties against Islam says top Saudi cleric".Reuters. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-04-03.Retrieved2011-07-06.
  24. ^Faragallah, Mona H.; Schumm, Walter R.; Webb, Farrell J. (Autumn 1997). Dr. George Kurian (ed.). "Acculturation of Arab-American Immigrants: An Exploratory Study".Journal of Comparative Family Studies.28(3): 182–203.JSTOR41603515.
  25. ^Imam Jalaluddin al-Suyuti (radi Allahu anhu)."Celebrating Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 August 2016.
  26. ^Sarah J. Horton (2007)Living Buddhist statues in early medieval and modern Japan,Palgrave MacmillanISBN1403964203p. 24
  27. ^electricpulp."Herodotus iii. Defining the Persians".iranicaonline.org.Archivedfrom the original on 29 January 2019.Retrieved21 November2017.
  28. ^"Internet History Sourcebooks".legacy.fordham.edu.Archived fromthe originalon 2015-11-29.Retrieved2017-12-10.
  29. ^Kathryn Argetsinger (1992). "Birthday Rituals: Friends and Patrons in Roman Poetry and Cult".Classical Antiquity.11(2): 175–193.doi:10.2307/25010971.JSTOR25010971.
  30. ^Li Xiaoxiang.Origins of Chinese People and Customs(2004)p. 101.Asiapac Books (Singapore).ISBN9812293841.
  31. ^MacLeod, Calum (26 April 2013)."Korean defectors recall 'Day of the Sun'".USA Today.Contributing: Jueyoung Song, Duck Hwa Hong.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2013.Retrieved6 April2015.
  32. ^Neville, Tim (15 February 2015)."Happy birthday? North Korea celebrates Kim Jong Il's legacy".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on 12 March 2017.Retrieved21 April2016.
  33. ^Ju Seongha (2011-12-30)Bắc 김정은 시대 bắc 12월 17일 sinh 사라진다.Archived2018-06-12 at theWayback Machinenews.donga
  34. ^Kelly Ng; Yuna Ku."South Koreans become younger under new age-counting law".BBC.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-07-28.Retrieved2023-07-29.
  35. ^"The Unique Age Counting System of Korea 상세보기|Citizen JournalistsEmbassy of the Republic of Korea to Norway".overseas.mofa.go.kr.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-16.Retrieved2021-11-25.
  36. ^Kim, Min Joo (8 December 2022),"South Koreans to Become Year Younger after Scrapping Traditional Age System",The Washington Post,Seattle: Nash Holdings,archivedfrom the original on 25 March 2023,retrieved5 March2023.

Notes

  1. ^Examples include Italy, Spain, France, parts of Germany, Poland, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, and throughout Latin America.
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