Birthday - the history of the holiday and other interesting facts. For a long time, no one thought of celebrating a birthday.

Incredible Facts

For some, this is a time of deep reflection, for others, a period of renewal. Birthday beliefs can save you from the depressive thoughts that come with age, because it's the easiest way to boost your luck.

They are also a great way to help friends and family celebrate a special day and continue traditions, many of which are centuries old.

In addition to the well-known tradition of blowing out candles on the cake, the number of which is equal to the number of years of the birthday person, and making a wish, there are some more interesting beliefs. The custom of blowing out candles is believed to have originated in Germany. Obviously, every year there are more and more candles on the birthday cake, and the chances of success are reduced, but get a lot of air and everything will work out.

1. Hidden treasures



This custom is clearly not to the liking of medical professionals, but some traditions call for hiding various items inside the birthday cake. Despite the risk of strangulation to unsuspecting guests, these secret "treasures" bring wealth and love to those lucky enough to find them.

One such "treasure" is adding a ring to the cake batter before baking. The guest who gets a piece with a ring will soon be a bride or groom. If a person is already married, then the ring simply enhances his luck.

Another "treasure" is a penny. Whoever finds it in a cake is predicted to be rich.

2. Take your time to celebrate your birthday



We often want to wish a close friend or family member a happy birthday as soon as possible. However, in some cultures, this seemingly innocent wish can bring bad luck to the birthday person.

In Europe and Russia, you cannot celebrate this event before the actual day of the event. It is necessary to wait. There is a belief that if you celebrate your birthday in advance, then you shorten your life.

Read also:Risk of dying increases on birthday

Early congratulations and early celebration will bring bad luck. Also, in order to protect children themselves, it is not customary to give gifts ahead of time. What if someone forgot their birthday? Although this is unlikely, but nevertheless, if this happens, then it is said that it brings good luck.

3. Don't be late with congratulations



In some cultures, celebrating a birthday too early is bad, however, according to other beliefs, congratulations should be given to the birthday person as early as possible, from the very beginning of the day. If one of your loved ones today is the hero of the occasion, then you should congratulate him in the morning, thereby maximizing his luck.

Early wishes are especially important when the child has a birthday. In this case, the baby should hear the congratulations on his birthday as soon as he wakes up. With these words, his day should begin, they will charge the day with positive and positive emotions.

4. Let's start over



In some cultures, adults are given the opportunity to become children again when they reach a certain age. For example, in Japan, when a man reaches the age of 61, his second childhood begins. He must wear a red hat and red vest, which symbolize his return to childhood.

From that moment on, all his problems are forgotten and he is given a chance to start everything from scratch. In Korea, this tradition comes into force when a person turns 60 years old. On this special birthday, people seem to return to the year they were born and can start all over again.

5. Pull on the ears



Some peoples have an unusual tradition of pulling the ears of the birthday boy. The belief comes from the idea that long ears are a sign of longevity. In order to increase the size of your ears, at least symbolically, you should expose your ears every year of your life to "enlargement".

Typically, this should be done by a close friend or family member. Adherents of this tradition believe that performing this ritual will bring good luck in the new life year of the birthday person.

6. Death and marriage



Birthdays are the perfect occasion to eat treats, receive presents, and have a party, but there are some things not to do on your birthday, at least according to some superstitions.

For example, you cannot schedule a wedding on your birthday, because it is believed that such a marriage is doomed to bad luck. It is also not advised to choose a marriage partner who was born in the same month as you, as this means that your union will be too stormy in the bad sense of the word.

Read also:What does the day of the week you were born say about you?

Luckily, your birthday is the perfect day to die. If a person dies on his birthday, it is believed that his soul is guaranteed to be saved..

7. Selectivity in food



Different cultures have their own beliefs about what kind of birthday food can bring good luck, while some other cultures, on the contrary, have certain foods that should be avoided during the celebration.

For example, in China, for good luck, you need to eat vermicelli on your birthday, and for dessert, be sure to have a peach-like cake, which is also considered a symbol of good luck. In India, they say that you shouldn’t eat salt on your birthday, otherwise you can bring bad luck on yourself.

Pennsylvania Germans have a very tasty tradition of eating on their birthdays. You should definitely eat a donut for good luck, which guarantees you that at least a year you still live.

8. Personality Predictions



Many people know that a person's personality can be determined to some extent only by the day of the week when he was born. If you believe this, then know that those born on Monday have a good appearance, and the life of "Tuesday" people is full of grace.

Other days of the week carry a negative charge, because there we are talking about grief and too long a way to the goal. It is likely that this superstition has a Christian origin, because it preserves the best qualities for a child who came into the world on Sunday. There is certainly no evidence that the day of the week you were born on has any effect on your personality, as sweet as it sounds.

birthday wishes


So, what should you do in your day and what is absolutely impossible? Let's start with what is possible and necessary.

Everyone knows that how you celebrate the new year is how you will spend it. But, as it turned out, this sign also applies to our birthday, because it is on your day that your personal program for the next year is laid.


After waking up on your birthday, try to immediately tune in to the good. So you will be as open as possible to the positive energy that is sent to the birthday man by higher powers.

The energy received on your day has great potential, it can patch holes in your energy field, and if you are in a good mood all day, it can even remove the evil eye from you, if you have one.


Forget at least in your day about conflicts, aggression and despondency, because negative emotions quickly block the flow of fresh energy, which makes you extremely vulnerable to energy vampires and black magicians.

Try to think about the good, abstracting from the problems, because all your mental projections on your birthday will definitely attract what you think about.

Read also:

If you are a believer, then be sure to turn to God with prayer requests. On your day, he hears you like never before! Therefore, do not spoil yourself the whole next year and be in a great mood on your birthday.


The day before, you should buy new clothes and underwear. Even if you are not celebrating your holiday with guests, you should still dress up and at least symbolically celebrate. If on your day you put on old and worn things, then luck will turn away from you.

Put money in the pocket of the new outfit, or if there are no pockets, sew it inside to the clothes. So they will be found with you all year. Even if you get dirty during the celebration, do not change clothes.

What not to do on your birthday

1) In no case do not borrow one day before the birthday, as well as on the day of the holiday. You can't even ask for salt, let alone money. If you neglect this advice, then all year you will be accompanied by financial problems, conflicts at work, troubles and troubles.


2) On your birthday, do not lend money to anyone and do not give alms, because by such actions you will distribute all the well-being and good luck for the coming year.


3) On your birthday, if possible, try not to communicate with sick people, because there is an increased risk of pulling on their illnesses. If this cannot be avoided, then be sure to put any silver item in your pocket. With its help, your energy field that resists diseases will be strengthened.


4) You should know that the guests you invite to your holiday also influence what your coming year will be like. Make sure that your event does not have the following number of guests: 9, 13, 18, 21, 51, 99, 100. It is believed that this number of guests will bring bad luck to the birthday person.


5) The same applies to the number of candles on the birthday cake and on the table as a whole. If your age is one of the above figures, then the output is a candle in the form of a number or a complete absence of candles.


On your day, the barrier between you and the energy world becomes thinner, so on your birthday a person is very susceptible to both good and bad. For this reason, you should not invite people to your holiday whose intentions you doubt.

Original post by Tessa_Fiery-Phoenix

Congratulations dear!

Birthday is the favorite holiday of most people. And this is not accidental, because it is on the day of his birth that a person celebrates the very miracle of life, the joy of his earthly existence.

The birthday boy is the center of general attention, receives gifts and accepts congratulations. Birthday is a special day in the life of every person, regardless of his nationality. But each nation has its own views on this celebration and traditions of its celebration.

In our country, birthday is a very revered holiday, and it is customary to celebrate it with relatives and friends at a large festive table. But how is this holiday celebrated in other countries?

Birthday celebration is a tradition that originated in the distant past, back in the days of pagan beliefs. In ancient times, people believed that on the day of his birth, a person becomes especially defenseless against evil spirits that are trying to harm him and can even steal his soul. In order to protect the birthday boy, all his relatives and friends gathered next to him, creating positive energy around him and protecting him from negative forces with good wishes and gifts.

History says that the ancient Egyptians were the first to celebrate the birthday. Later, this tradition began to spread to neighboring states. However, only pharaohs, kings and their heirs, and only males, had the right to celebrate a birthday. The day the girl was born was not even recorded. But after some time, women also received the right to celebrate their birthdays. The first woman to use this privilege was Queen Cleopatra II (II century BC).

In the ancient world, as in the early Middle Ages, birthday celebrations were not given much importance. Most people did not use calendars and did not celebrate their birthday. And the very life of an individual was not valued so highly as to arrange a holiday in his honor.

And with the spread of Christianity, this tradition completely sunk into oblivion. Christianity treated the earthly life of a person as a phenomenon of a sinful order, so the birth of a person was not considered necessary to celebrate. The neglect of this holiday was intensified by the negative attitude towards pagan traditions.

Only by the XII century. churches began to record the birthdays and baptisms of parishioners. People got the right to celebrate birthdays. At first, this privilege was enjoyed only by the nobility,

Gradually, the tradition began to spread to ordinary people, including women and children. Germany was the first country to show a democratic approach in this regard, and later other countries of Europe followed its example.

In the modern world, each country has its own customs associated with celebrating a birthday. It is noteworthy that the attitude to this holiday among different peoples can differ significantly.

In Russia, birthday is considered a solemn day and is a favorite holiday for most people. Most of the inhabitants of European countries treat their birthday with a greater degree of indifference and, as a rule, do not like to celebrate this holiday.

In Russia, the birthday was not celebrated until the 19th century. Greater attention was paid to the celebration of the Name Day. But Name Days began to be celebrated only in the 17th century. Name-days were celebrated on a truly grand scale.

Guests were treated to pies, rolls and loaves. Songs were sung in honor of the birthday boy. In the 19th century nobles and merchants began to celebrate their birthday. But only in the 20th century. This holiday has become a traditional family celebration and has gained great importance.

In Germany, the tradition of celebrating a birthday dates back to the 13th century.

Already in the morning, a festive cake was prepared for the birthday man and decorated with lit candles. The number of candles was equal to the person's age plus one candle. Candles burned all day, burnt candles were replaced with new ones. And only after the gala dinner, the birthday man could blow out the candles, after making a wish.

The UK also has its own birthday traditions. Invite guests to this holiday to accept in advance - two months in advance. If the guest receives an invitation later, then he has the right to refuse to attend the celebration, preferring the activities previously scheduled for that day. On a birthday, it is customary to predict fate.

And in the festive cake you can find a coin - a symbol of future wealth.

In Denmark, a child's birthday is treated with great trepidation. On this day, parents hang a flag on the window of the house, informing all passers-by about a joyful event in the family.

In Holland, a child celebrating his birthday receives a bright paper hat as a gift from a school teacher.

The birthday boy treats his classmates with sweets, and his chair is decorated with colorful ribbons, flowers and balloons. On a special scale, the Dutch celebrate the so-called crown years: the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th and 21st years of life.

In Latin America, the fifteenth birthday of a girl is celebrated especially solemnly. On this day, the girl dances her first waltz, first with her father, then with young suitors.

In some countries, on the day of her fifteenth birthday, a girl gets the right to wear high-heeled shoes for the first time.

A similar tradition exists in the United States, only here girls celebrate not their fifteenth birthday on a special scale, but sweet sixteen - “sweet sixteen”.

Birthday is also a revered holiday in Guiana. Here the birthday boy dresses up in an extravagant costume, in which he meets his guests. The main dish on the festive table is chicken with rice.

Cubans especially love to celebrate their birthdays. On a solemn day, everything should be in abundance: a lot of guests, and not necessarily close people, a rich table, loud music and festive outfits.

In India, parents, sending a birthday child to school, always supply him with various sweets so that he treats his classmates, sharing his joy with them.

Residents of Muslim countries rarely celebrate their birthday. The Arabs do not have a custom of a festive celebration in honor of the day of birth. However, the Koran does not forbid the celebration of this holiday. And some men gather guests on their birthday in the courtyard of their house, treating them to traditional oriental dishes.

In Canada, the hero of the occasion is smeared with oil on the tip of his nose so that all bad luck slips off his nose, after which he is lightly punched in the chest.

In England, it is customary to throw a birthday boy into the air as many times as he turns years old plus one time at random. The same custom exists in Ireland and Israel.

According to opinion polls, about half of Europeans do not like to celebrate their birthday and do not feel joy from its approach, suffering from the need to arrange a celebration with relatives, friends or colleagues.

Here are 10 historical ways to celebrate your birthday.

10th place: According to pagan beliefs, the birthday annually symbolizes the transition from the world of ancestors to the world of the living. At this time, a person may be in danger, get sick, and his soul can be stolen. Therefore, it is necessary to have close people nearby who, with their ritual offerings and good wishes, drive away evil spirits. So a birthday cake with candles and making wishes is actually an altar in honor of the pagan gods who were addressed on their birthday.

9th place: In Russia, name days began to be celebrated in the 17th century - this is the latest beginning in history. On the eve of the holiday, the family of the birthday boy brewed beer, baked birthday cakes, pies and loaves. And, in fact, the song about the loaf was originally sung by adults.

8th place: The royal name day was celebrated especially magnificently. Sometimes the tsar personally handed out birthday cakes, and large festivities with refreshments were organized for the people. So much money was spent on one name day of Elizabeth Petrovna that three royal palaces could be built on them and fully provided with furniture and curtains.

7th place: African birthdays. In the Galla tribe, a birth is celebrated every 8 years. The concept of "year" is absent there, since no one has a calendar, and the seasons practically do not change.

6th place: In the Kukuyu tribe, the gap between birthdays is even larger - 13 years. Once every 13 years, the birthday boy plants a fig tree. By the way, in Russia, after the revolution, an ideological struggle began with name days. In the 1920s, censorship banned "Fly-Tsokotukha" by Korney Chukovsky for promoting name days.

5th place: In England, everyone who has lived to 80,90, and 100 years old is sent personally by the Queen.

4th place: In some Indian tribes, as well as in rural areas of China, in addition to birthdays, they also celebrate the stages of human development: “sidin” - when he began to sit, “hodin” - he began to walk, etc.

3rd place: In North Africa, it is customary to celebrate your birthday only twice in your life: 1 time when you are born, and the second time at 52 years old (because this is the age of the prophet Mohammed).

2nd place: In Ukraine, there was once a custom to take children out into the field on their birthday and flog them at the boundary there, so that the child knew exactly where the boundary was drawn. By the way, for the same reason, they pull on the ears on birthdays, in England they throw them up and drop them on the floor, and in Spain they click on the forehead.

1st place: The most unfortunate birthday people live in Japan. There is no birthday celebration at all. Only parents are congratulated on the anniversary of their feat - the birth of a child. For children, there are only holidays of three, five and seven years - "City-Go-San", it is the same for all children and is celebrated on certain days that may not coincide with your personal birthday. In Japan, it is customary to give gifts only for the 60th, 70th, 79th, 88th, 99th anniversary.

Birthday is an unusual day, because it marks a new stage in a person's life.

Whether to celebrate this holiday and how exactly to do it, whether to observe the ancient customs and rituals adopted in one's own country is everyone's business. After all, a birthday is, first of all, a personal holiday.

The main thing is that this day goes positively!

After all, a birthday is a statement of your birth and the joy of earthly life, given to each person the opportunity to communicate, love and realize oneself in this world. And this alone is worthy of highlighting this holiday from a series of other days!

The history of birthday celebrations dates back to ancient times. But it is worth saying that for how long it is customary to celebrate this day in some special way, and for no less long time, absolutely no attention was paid to a person’s birthday. And the ancient Egyptians were the first to organize a birthday party. And it was before our era.

Birthday celebrations. Image: InstantSmile

The very first festivities were held in honor of the pharaoh, and also on the day when his boy heir was born. The Pharaoh's birthday was a public holiday. Everything was carefully prepared for it. National festivities and feasts were organized for the poor people. And sometimes they even announced an amnesty for prisoners. And they were released. On this day, everything was done so that a joyful atmosphere reigned around, so that everyone was happy and satisfied.

Everything was incredibly wonderful. But... Only in relation to boys' birthdays. But about the girls for a very, very long time, no one remembered. And no one was interested in when the girl was born. This date was not even recorded. And the first woman who decided that the day of her birth was worthy of magnificent celebrations was Queen Cleopatra. But this is on that Cleopatra (VII), which has long been known to the whole world, and her predecessor is Cleopatra II. Her reign fell on the II century BC. And it was a hundred years before Cleopatra VII.

It's all about people of high birth. As for ordinary people, no one arranged birthday celebrations for them in ancient times. Yes, no one thought of that. Even to themselves. And only towards the end of the Middle Ages, approximately from the XII century, in Germany, church ministers began to record the dates of the birth of babies, as well as the dates of their baptism. And at the same time, Germany became the first country in Europe where the birthday became an occasion for celebrations. This tradition came to Russia even later, already by the 17th century, when rich people began to celebrate their birthday.

Birthday celebrations today

A truly widespread tradition of celebrating a birthday spread in the last century. True, in some countries there is a rule according to which this day is celebrated only when a person reaches a certain age. But still, two things remain unchanged in all modern cultures - these are parties, and of course, gifts! The tradition of giving gifts to the hero of the occasion, I think, no one wants to cancel).

And who loves gifts more than anyone in the world? Of course, children! And in order to arrange a grand party or matinee dedicated to the birthday of your crumbs, without difficulty and hassle, you just need to contact http://fiesta-prazdnik.com/children/. And then a team of real professional entertainers will arrange fun on such a scale that you and your baby will remember for a long time. And it is possible that you will want to repeat the pleasure! And the guys from Fiesta will not keep you waiting long. After all, they are real fans of the holiday!

Bears also have birthday celebrations! Photo: Brigitte E

It is clear that professionals know their business. And what is traditionally done on a birthday? Probably, everyone from childhood remembers the song "Loaf", which they sang both at home and in kindergartens. True, now the English-language “Happy Birthday to you” is heard more and more often at children's parties, but this does not matter much for the atmosphere of celebration and fun. After all, the house is full of guests, everyone is in high spirits, participate in fun games and contests, and the table is full of gifts.

There is another table that is traditionally bursting with food. How else?! After all, guests come not only to sing and dance, but also to eat deliciously in honor of the birthday celebration of a dear friend and dear relative! And of course there is cake! Large and with candles, the number of which is equal to the number of years lived by the birthday man. He blows them out, while making a wish. And if you manage to blow out everything at once, then the wish will certainly come true!

In addition to the tradition of blowing out candles on the cake and making wishes, there is another one. Undoubtedly, it can cause ambiguous emotions among birthday people, but this does not make it any less funny. It is a tradition to pull the ears of the hero of the occasion. And this execution is done exactly as many times as the years have "knocked" the lucky person who receives gifts on this day.

Birthday traditions around the world

Other countries have other traditions. In China, for example, the person whose birthday is celebrated must eat a bowl of long noodles. And the longer the noodles that he manages to pull into his mouth without biting off at the same time, the longer his life will be.

The Mexican tradition of celebrating a birthday would probably be very popular with children all over the world without exception. Its main attribute is the so-called piñata. This is a hollow animal figurine, usually made of paper. Inside, she has sweets and other tasty things. The kid is blindfolded and handed a stick. Then it is spun around its axis, and after that the child must accurately hit the figure with a stick and break it. Sweets, of course, get enough sleep at the same time, and around there is a joyful screech, hubbub and a bunch of children who want to eat.

Brazilians and Italians have a tradition similar to ours. It lies in the fact that the birthday guests are diligently pulling by the ears. And the number of such “pulls” is equal to the number of years, just like the number of candles on the cake.

So it turns out, dear reader, that no matter where a modern person lives, his birthday is considered something special and unusual. How else? After all, a man came into this world. A new life has appeared, and what could be more important and solemn than this moment? And this is the most favorite holiday, the most desired. Especially for children. They always expect gifts and surprises. But many adults are also waiting for a miracle on this day and are counting the days until the upcoming celebration. Although, perhaps, and a secret from everyone.

Isn't it your birthday today, dear reader? Then accept our congratulations and the best and warmest wishes! And a wonderful unforgettable holiday to you!

Birthday celebrations began in ancient Egypt, and later this custom spread to Assyria.

But it concerned only prominent people - pharaohs and kings, as well as their male heirs. The first written evidence of the celebration of the birthdays of the Egyptian pharaohs dates back to about 3000 BC.

A feast was arranged in the palace, in which, in addition to the nobility, both servants and slaves took part. Often, on the occasion of the pharaoh's birthday, prisoners were released from prisons.

For a long time, women's birthdays were not only not celebrated, but they were not even recorded. As far as is known, the first woman to be honored with the annual feast was Cleopatra II, queen of Egypt (185-116 BC).

The ancient Greeks celebrated the birthdays of their gods 12 times a year (for example, the birthday of Artemis, the goddess of the moon and hunting, was celebrated on the sixth day of each month).

As for ordinary mortals, only the head of the family, the husband and father, enjoyed such a privilege, and then only once a year. No special attention was paid to women and children.

But neither then, nor later, in the Middle Ages, people's birthdays were almost not celebrated. For the most part, mankind did not use calendars. And the life of each person individually did not mean anything.

With the spread of Christianity, the tradition of celebrating someone's birthday disappeared. The early Christians viewed the world as a place of sorrow and believed that a joyful event is not a birth, but the departure of a person, his deliverance from a sinful world. In addition, the traditions inherited from the pagans - the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, were not encouraged by the church.

And only in the years of the Reformation, the opportunity to arrange a holiday, regardless of the days dedicated to any saints, suddenly seemed very attractive.

In the beginning, solemn birthdays were the privilege of kings. Then children were admitted to the ceremony - the first country to start celebrating children's birthdays was Germany.

Gradually, the position of the church softened, and by the 12th century, parish priests started registering birth and baptism books. Then families began to celebrate the birthdays of not only adult men, but also women and children.

In the 13th century, the German peasants developed a ritual of children's birthdays.

The child was awakened at dawn with songs and a cake with candles was brought to him. But the cake was not eaten, and the candles gradually burning on it were replaced with new ones until the evening when the family gathered for dinner. The birthday boy blew out the candles and made a wish.

To make the wish come true, it was necessary to keep it secret, and blow out all the candles with one exhalation. After this ceremony, the pie was shared among those gathered. There were as many candles on it as the years of the hero of the occasion, plus one candle, symbolizing the very moment of birth.

Just as Santa Claus or Santa Claus brings gifts to everyone on Christmas or New Year's, so on a birthday a special “dwarf's birthday” brought gifts. This figure was preserved in German folklore until the beginning of the 20th century.

In Russia, name days began to be celebrated only in the 17th century. The day before, they brewed beer, baked pies and a loaf and sang a song about it.

Royal birthdays were especially pompous, and loaves were distributed to the people. It is known that so much money was spent on the name day of Elizabeth Petrovna that three luxurious palaces with furnishings could be built on them.

Name days of members of the imperial family and church hierarchs were called name days. But birthdays in Russia became holidays only in the 19th century - and then among the nobles and wealthy merchants.

It was not customary to celebrate a birthday in either the Orthodox or Catholic tradition. Catholics celebrated only the birthdays of saints, Orthodox - only three births: the Nativity of Christ, the Virgin and John the Baptist.

But the Protestants thought differently - and celebrated the birthdays of mere mortals.

In Russia, after the revolution, name days were not celebrated. And even Korney Chukovsky’s “Fly-Sokotukha” was banned in the 20s, including for promoting the fact that “Today, the Fly-Sokotukha is a birthday girl ...”.

Traditionally, on a birthday, there is... ...pulling the ears or other physical influences on the hero of the occasion - an ancient custom to fool evil spirits.

They tear for the ears in our country and in Italy, for the earlobe - in Brazil. In English-speaking countries, the birthday boy is taken by the arms and legs and thrown up by the number of years plus one time for good luck. In Israel, they raise on a chair. Sometimes a newborn is beaten on the hand, in Spain they click on the forehead, and in Ukraine in the old days the child was taken out into the field and flogged at the boundary, so that at the same time he knew exactly where the boundary was drawn. In Canada, the tip of the nose of the birthday boy is smeared with oil so that failures cannot catch him by the slippery nose, and in Nepal they draw a mark on the forehead; cake with candles, which is brought into a dark room.

This tradition also comes from antiquity, and the lighting of cake or pie candles refers to the lighting of an altar in honor of pagan gods. Sometimes coins and rings were baked into these pies for good luck, in some places they continue to do so until now.

In many countries, a special meal is prepared for a birthday. For example, in Asia it is noodles - long, so that life is long.

The cake is brought in, and all the guests sing songs in honor of the birthday boy.

Two hundred years ago in Russia they sang about the loaf, in Poland they still wish "a hundred lyat" (similar to the church "Many years"), and in many countries they sing Happy Birthday.

This song was written by the Hill Sisters of Kentucky in 1893 to greet children in the classroom. At first it sounded like "Good morning to you." But who put the words about the birthday on the melody, history is silent.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, this is the most played song in the world; and then the candles on the cake are blown out, making a wish.

Interesting Facts:

Anniversaries are considered special in many countries - 10, 30, 50 years. Often in a special way celebrate 1 year, 18 years and 21 years.

Golden, or champagne, birthday is the day that coincides with the number of years of the birthday person: for example, the 15th anniversary, celebrated on the 15th.

In some countries certain birthdays are part of the ritual.

So Jewish boys at the age of 13 celebrate a bar mitzvah, and girls at 12 celebrate a bat mitzvah. In Latin America, quinzenera is a celebration of 15-year-old girls on their birthday.

On this day, the daughter always dances a waltz with her father. Sometimes she wears high heeled shoes for the first time on a quinzener. In the US, some girls celebrate sweet sixteen.

Russian Father Frost's birthday is November 18. So they decided in Veliky Ustyug, where they settled Grandfather, last year. It was planned that this would become a new tradition, opening New Year's events.

Different African peoples have similar traditions: having reached a certain age, children undergo initiation - tests, after which they become full members of their tribe.

Since the seasons on the continent do not differ too much from each other and, in general, there is still "there is no calendar on the damned island", Africans rarely celebrate birthdays. For example, in the Galla tribe - once every 8 years. And in the Kukuyu tribe, it’s even 13 times. The birthday boy plants a fig tree on this day.

In Denmark and some other Scandinavian countries, a flag is hung in the window of the birthday boy.

In Latin American countries, during the celebration of a birthday (and on other holidays too), they hang a figure specially made of papier-mâché or straw in the shape of an animal or some object - pinata - from the ceiling, filling it with sweets. A blindfolded child should pierce the pinata with a stick to wake up sweet rain.

It is believed that the birthday of all racehorses in the Southern Hemisphere is August 1, in the Northern Hemisphere - January 1.

Earth's Birthday - World Earth Day - is celebrated on April 22. This date has been included in the calendar since 1971 at the initiative of the UN.

In some countries, members of the royal family have an official birthday, which is a holiday for the country and does not coincide with the actual day the royals were born. For example, Dutch and English monarchs have such birthdays.

Elizabeth II of England, born April 21, celebrates her birthday on the second Saturday of June. In England, this tradition dates back to the time of Edward VII, who was born in late autumn, but wanted to organize celebrations on such a significant occasion in good weather and with a large gathering of people.

Until now, the tradition of celebrating birthdays in the West intersects with another: the celebration of name days in honor of the patron saint who gave the child his name. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses do not recognize birthdays, considering them pagan holidays along with Christmas and Easter.

In American schools, half birthdays are sometimes celebrated - some and a half years - if, for example, the real one falls during the holidays, especially at Christmas.

In probability theory, there is a so-called birthday paradox. It sounds like this: in any group of more than 22 people, there is a probability greater than 50% that two or more people have the same birthday. In a group with 55 people, the probability of this is 99%, and if there are 68 people, then already 99.9%.

In some Indian tribes, in addition to the birthday, the date of the first sitting and the first step is celebrated.

Arabs do not celebrate birthdays, just as the prophet did not celebrate them, although it is not forbidden to do so. Perhaps the dates of birth are not noted because there are usually too many children in the family.

Birthdays in Holland at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 21 are called crown. On these dates, the birthday boy receives especially significant gifts, and his place in the house is decorated with flowers, balls and paper ribbons.

It is known that in the countries of East Asia (such as China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam) the countdown of human life is different - from the moment of conception. The baby becomes a year older with the onset of each new year - all birthdays are celebrated on the same day. True, along with this countdown, there is also a Western one, and many Japanese and Koreans consider age in the same way as we do.

In England, everyone who lived to be 80, 90 and 100 years old receives a personal congratulation from the Queen.

But, in spite of everything, nevertheless, the most unfortunate birthday people live in Japan, since it is generally not customary to celebrate a birthday there.

They congratulate the parents of the child for the fact that they accomplished a kind of feat - they gave birth to a child. Which of the children can still boast that they still arrange a holiday in their honor, so these are -three, -five and seven-year-old kids, for whom they arrange "City-Go-San".

True, this holiday is the same for all children and may well not coincide with the personal birthday of the child.

In Japan, strangely enough, it is customary to give gifts only when a person turns 60, 70, 79, 88, 99 years old.

Each of us knows well how old and months he is. But how many days did you live in the world? Somewhere in the world there is a very interesting tradition: to celebrate your decimal birthday - the round dates of the days you have lived, the “thousand days”.

The first such birthday is celebrated in 1000 days. And the biggest occasions are 10,000-, 20,000- and 30,000-day (if you're lucky).

We go to school at about 2500 days.

Adolescence falls on the 5000-7000th days.

At the age of about 28 years, 10,000 days can be celebrated from the beginning of life.

The 40th anniversary roughly coincides with the 14600th day.

Human life in Russia lasts an average of 23,750 days (65 years - of which every fourth leap year - 3 months and 16 days).

medical astrology.

Back in the 1950s, the Austrian doctor Stuhr noticed that most of his cancer patients were born in certain months. After analyzing three thousand case histories, he deduced a pattern: the least malignant tumors occurred in those who were born from May to August.

Since then, a lot of research has been done on finding links between the month of birth and diseases.

Scientists from the Institute for Demographic Research (Rostock, Germany), having analyzed the dates of birth of more than a million people who died in Austria, Denmark and the USA from 1968 to 1998, came to the conclusion that those who were born in autumn live to the most advanced years. Australian data confirm this - centenarians of the continent are born from April to June, that is, just in the Australian autumn.

The work of scientists from the universities of Bristol and Edinburgh contains data that women born in winter are more likely to have high cholesterol (the sample was made on 4286 examples), lung disease and a predisposition to cardiovascular disease. And the colder the season in which a person was born, the more likely it is that he will suffer from heart and vascular diseases (by about 24%).

But... Recent Norwegian studies of 6752 schoolchildren aged 14-15 show that children born in January, February and March are the most successful in school. And those who were born at the end of the year not only study worse, but also have communication problems. And those born in winter often grow up to be geniuses.

The American physicist McGervey would argue with this, who, having studied the connection between the birth time of 17,000 scientists and 6,000 politicians and their professional status, came to the conclusion: everything is accidental.

A survey of 50,000 conscripts, undertaken by scientists at the University of Vienna, showed that those born in the spring are more timid and shy, but taller than everyone else. And left-handed people, in Austria, as it turned out, are born more often from September to February.

According to the British, schizophrenia in Europe and the United States is more common among those born in the spring. It is possible that the reason lies in the deficiency of vitamin D in the early stages of fetal development.

And the time of birth also affects the attitude towards life. British psychologists, after interviewing 4,000 people, concluded that those who were born in the summer are more optimistic and have higher self-esteem. There is an assumption that summer children are more willing to indulge in the joys of life, because parents are more busy with newborns during the warmer months.

And a completely opposite, although also English, study. Among the one and a half hundred women who committed suicide after 55 years, the vast majority were born in the summer, and those who were born in August killed themselves with particular cruelty.

How is everyone explaining this? Banal weather conditions. During pregnancy and the first months of life, a person is exposed to many natural factors. Nutrition, sunlight, infections, hormonal activity are all related to the season and can affect our destiny. But...

As you can see, often the data of scientists contradict each other. From which we can conclude: there are no unconditional links between the time of birth and health (mind, temperament, etc.).

Therefore, there is no optimal month for birth. And if you still want advice, then here it is: some doctors recommend conceiving a child in January-February, so that most of the pregnancy falls on the time of fruits and vegetables, and the immunity acquired from the mother kept him from infections in the first, coldest, six months. Or, plan to conceive in September-October, when you are at the peak of your health after summer holidays and nutrition.

Watch out for your birthday!

As physiologists prove, birthday is a big stress for every person. It has been established that on the eve of the holiday, immunity deteriorates in children, the level of anxiety increases, and health problems are observed.

And in adults, the number of complications after surgery performed on the eve of or immediately after the birthday rises to 32% compared with 12% of cases on ordinary days.

And even starting repairs, making serious decisions or getting married within a month before and after the birthday is not recommended.

Birthday is the most favorite children's holiday, and in this capacity it rightfully competes with the New Year. But, despite the huge popularity of this wonderful holiday, many do not know about its origin, what is birthday history.

The day of the year on which the person was born is the birthday. In many cultures, it is customary to throw parties on birthdays and give gifts to the birthday person. One of the most common birthday rituals is the preparation of a cake with candles stuck in it according to the number of years the birthday person turns. Before cutting the cake, the birthday person blows out all the candles lit on the cake and makes a wish. If you managed to blow out all the candles in one breath, it is believed that the wish will come true.

In addition, depending on the culture, celebrate birthdays famous historical figures, for example, the Nativity of Christ and Mawlid.

The history of the birthday

BIRTHDAY, Natālis dies (cf. Γενέθλιος ἡμέρ), which the ancients solemnly celebrated mainly with a feast for friends (nataliciae dapes). On this day, the house and hearth were decorated with wreaths, a libation was made and incense was smoked, mainly to a genius, the patron saint of the birthday (cf. Hor. ep. 2, 2, 187. 210). The newborn appeared in a festive dress (toga alba) and received birthday greetings and gifts; even the birthdays of the absent and the dead were celebrated. Subsequently, the birthdays of Caesar, Augustus and other emperors were public holidays that were celebrated everywhere. Wed monographs by Schöne (1832) and Petersen (1858)

Yandex dictionaries. Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities

To celebrate a birthday Man has been celebrating ever since the invention of the calendar. Celebrate holiday birthday people all over the world and almost all religions (not counting some sects in which the birthday is the same forbidden holiday as any other).

There is no exact information regarding the origin of this holiday, but there are two main versions.

The first version is that the followers of black magic considered the soul of a person to be the most vulnerable at the time of birth, and any wishes or curses on this day were considered spells. Hence the origin of the tradition of meeting friends all day and avoiding enemies.

According to another version, the Roman soldiers brought the tradition birthday celebrations along with some other Eastern traditions, in particular, Birthday party the sun god Mithras.

Most likely based birthday traditions there are a number of these and similar facts. It is known, for example, that in 400 AD. e. Roman emperors celebrated their birthdays. And the Bible describes two cases birthday celebrations: 1. Genesis 40:20-22 (recorded circa 1513 BC). 2. Mark 6:21-29 (1st century AD). Both events are presented in a bad light.

The custom of lighting candles on cakes originated among the Greeks... Round, like the moon, honey cakes with thin wax candles lit on them were placed on altars in the temples of Artemis (the goddess of the moon among the Greeks) on her birthday (full moon). (Linton R., Linton A. The Lore of Birthdays. New York, 1952, p. 8, 18-20).

Birthday celebration in Russia


In Russia Birthdays first began to celebrate around the 17th century. This is the latest mention of this holiday in history. Birthday traditions were very different from today. On the evening before the birthday, the family of the birthday boy baked cakes and birthday cakes, brewed beer. On myself Birthday adults (parents, relatives) sang a song about the loaf to the birthday boy. Most often, a birthday coincided with a person's name day, so initially these two holidays were not distinguished.

At children's birthdays, especially in kindergartens, guests (children and a teacher) arrange a round dance around the birthday boy and sing the song "Loaf" and "Let them run awkwardly ...". Now, under the influence of Western culture, “Loaf” is often replaced by “Happy birthday to you”. There is a custom to pull the ears of the celebrant in the number of completed years.

The birthday paradox

In probability theory and in combinatorics, a well-known problem is associated with birthdays, called " birthday paradox". This "paradox" lies in the fact that in any randomly assembled group of 22 people, with a probability of more than 50%, two or more people have the same birthday (at first glance, this contradicts worldly intuition). As the size of a group of people grows, the probability of having a coincidence in birthdays quickly approaches one: for example, in a randomly collected group of 55 people, two of them have a birthday on the same day with a probability of 99%.

Happy Birthday

This is a wonderful occasion to gather all friends, relatives and close people, colleagues and just good people. It is on this day that it is pleasant to receive not only gifts, but also warm words from loving people, relatives, friends, and colleagues. We are waiting for not just banal, but warm warming words that will warm the soul and leave vivid memories for life.

Some compose Happy Birthday in verses themselves, trying to please loved ones. But not everyone can come up with a funny, bright, memorable text of congratulations. I hope that selections happy birthday in verse and prose, which will be constantly replenished on this festive portal, will help you to please your loved one from the bottom of your heart.

When you choose, it is very important to take into account the age, character and temperament of the birthday man. There will be special collections of congratulation texts for children, teenagers, for people in adulthood and the elderly we respect. I hope these compilations help. to celebrate a birthday fun, bright and exciting, and smiles will shine on the faces of the participants, and no one will remain indifferent. After all, speech should contain a "zest" and, of course, should not be repeated.

For your beloved spouse, prepare the most sincere Happy Birthday. Of course, congratulations in verses that you compose yourself will be the best, even if the verses are awkward, but congratulations to your spouse will come out with all my heart. Well, if you don’t feel the ability to compose something at all, then use ready-made congratulations to your husband (wife) on your birthday, which you can also find here over time.

If you have a sister, you are very lucky! A sister is one of the closest and dearest people, so on a holiday she deserves only the best congratulations. Is your sister's birthday? How to congratulate your beloved sister? Of course, give congratulations to your sister in verse! For the New Year or March 8, or Anniversary, congratulations to the sister should be warm and sincere. How old is your sister - it does not matter. Congratulations to a sister at 50 remain as kind as congratulations on her 25th birthday.

Need funny birthday greetings for your friends and family? Please choose - here will be collected the most funny birthday greetings in verse and prose: congratulations to a girlfriend, friend, man, cool congratulations to a girl, women. What could be better than a good joke? A cool joke, if you say it at a birthday party, it will make the birthday boy laugh!

If you don’t like standard congratulations in verse and prose, and you want to give birthday boy, this portal is for you! Funny and funny congratulations, composed in verse and prose, are perfect for people with a sense of humor who celebrate their own.

How to choose funny birthday greetings? So that what is read Happy Birthday echoed in your soul, touched the thinnest strings of your consciousness. If you found this birthday greetings, then do not hesitate and do not look further - your choice will certainly be appreciated by the people around you.


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