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Birthday Traditions in the United Kingdom

December 5, 2010 by

Children’s birthday traditions vary all over the world. In every place, the birthday child’s parents, extended family, and friends find ways to make the day special and commemorate early birthdays with style. In the United Kingdom, there are some unifying traditions, like some sort of “birthday bump.” There are also special traditions common in each nation.

Birthdays in England
A British birthday cake has small tokens baked into the batter. When the cake it cut, each party guest looks for objects in their slice to tell their fortune. Traditionally, finding a coin in your slice of cake was considered lucky and finding a thimble was considered unlucky. Today, objects are more likely to be small figurines, toys, and candies.

British birthday bumps are done by party guests lifting the birthday child up in the air and back down. One bump is given for each year of the child’s age, plus additional bumps for special amounts of good luck. Birthday cards originated in England and it is still traditional for friends and family to give cards on birthdays, just as it is in many countries around the world.

Birthdays in Scotland
A one pound note is given for each year of a child’s age, some children also receive an extra pound as a symbol of good luck. Instead of a bump, birthday children are given a gentle smack for each year.

When a child turns twenty one, he or she is often given the key to the house as a birthday gift. This symbolizes the transition to adulthood and the ability to leave the house and come back as he or she pleases.

Birthdays in Ireland

In Ireland, birthday bumps involve lifting the birthday child up and “bumping” him or her back down on the floor. This is repeated once for each year in the child’s age, plus one extra bump for good luck in the coming year.

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Children’s Birthday Parties in Mexico

December 4, 2010 by
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Birthday parties are a big event in Mexico. Like in other countries there is food, dancing, and party games. Parties tend to be a grander occasion that in the United States. While there are traditions that children in the US would recognize, like a pinata filled with candy, there are other things that are very different.

The Adults’ Role
Mexican children’s birthday parties are very different from those in the United States, where it is common for parents to drop their children off at a birthday party and then leave, only coming back for pick up at the end of the party. In Mexico, parents and other adults come for the party. The party is a celebration not only for children, but for the whole community. Adults and children both celebrate the birthday child during the party.

The Quinceanera
For young girls in Mexico, a quinceanera, or fifteenth birthday celebration, resembles something closer to a United States wedding than a birthday party. This is also because there is a part of the celebration at an elaborate church ceremony and part that is more of a traditional party. A quinceanera is the celebration of a young girl’s transition to womanhood. There is celebration and dancing to celebrate her day. The birthday girl traditionally wears a white gown and in some families, she changes from flat dress shoes into high heels to symbolize her transition into adulthood.

Name Days
Children in Mexico, along with children in many Catholic countries around the world, celebrate a birthday marking the day of their birth and a name day that is assigned based on the child’s first name. Name days, like birthdays, are celebrated with gifts and commemoration. The name day party is typically much less elaborate than a birthday, the child is blessed at church, and celebrates with only close family and friends.

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Birthday Traditions in Asia

December 3, 2010 by

Children’s birthday celebrations in many Asian countries are marked by special rituals and traditions to bring good fortune and luck to the birthday child and to the birthday child’s family. Each country has its own traditions and superstitions, similarly, each country believes that certain birthdays are more important and more significant occasions than others. While some parts of the celebrations will be familiar to children around the world, like birthday desserts and candies, others are very different.

Birthdays in China
The China, first birthdays are very important. Parents may place their one year old in the center of a group of objects and tell the child’s fortune based on which object the child picks up. Sixth birthday celebrations are also very important in China. Birthday children are often given gifts that have pictures of tigers on them, the tiger is thought to offer protection to children. Clocks are an unlucky gift for a birthday celebration.

Birthdays in India
First birthdays are also important to Indian culture. When a Hindu child turns one year old, the head of the child is shaved to symbolize a spiritual cleansing. Birthday children may visit a shrine to receive a blessing and children in school hand out candies to their classmates. Instead of a birthday cake, a “dudh pkh” is served on birthdays. This is a pudding-like dessert filled with spices, nuts and dried fruits.

Birthdays in Japan
In Japan, the third, fifth, and seventh birthdays are considered to be important times in the child’s life. In the years that children turn these special ages, they dress up and visit a shrine with their family members and ask for blessings and give thanks for the good things in their lives. This is a very old tradition with roots in the fact that many children long ago did not survive to these birthdays.

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Canadian Children’s Birthday Customs

December 2, 2010 by

Birthday parties are celebrated differently all over the world. In Canada, there are many similarities between children’s birthday parties there and children’s birthday parties in the United States. In other ways, Canadian celebrations have more in common with traditions that got their start in the United Kingdom.

Party Crackers
Like many places in the world, Canadian children have birthday parties with their friends that feature games and activities. Canadian children’s birthday parties often feature party crackers like you would find at New Years celebrations and Christmas parties in England. Crackers are tubes of colorful paper that are pulled apart by two strings to reveal little prizes and small toys. In some regions, hats are a common treat to find in a cracker. Party crackers may also hide fortunes, like a colorful paper fortune cookie.

Surprises inside the Birthday Cake
birthday cakes are the dessert of choice at Canadian birthday parties and there are some specific guidelines for the best birthday cakes. As is the case in England, Canadian birthday cakes are often used as games in their own right. Cakes are typically homemade, baked by the parents or family of the birthday child. The cakes are decorated with colored sugars or sprinkle decorations and baked in at least two layers. Between layers, the baker places a coin. When the cake is cut and slices handed out to the children at the party, the lucky person who finds the coin wins the chance to go first at party games.

Greased Noses
In Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, there is a special birthday tradition that is thought to be of Scottish origin. Parents grease the birthday child’s nose with butter for good luck. It is thought that a slippery nose will help bad luck to run right down off of it. This silly tradition will keep the birthday child lucky for the next year.

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Birthday Traditions in South America

December 1, 2010 by

Parents all over the world find ways to make birthdays special for their children. Children’s birthdays often involve special traditions and customs that are unique to a country to to a part of the world. While many cultures have desserts, games, and parties, they all vary in how the events are handled and the parts of the celebration that contain meaning. In South America, there are many unique birthday traditions.

Birthdays in Argentina
Birthday celebrations in Argentina, like in many South American countries, are lavish events, just about as lavish as the family can afford. The birthday child is usually dressed up and the entire community would celebrate the occasion. One unique tradition: the birthday child in Argentina would have his or her earlobes tugged gently, once for each year in the child’s age. This is considered good luck.

Birthdays in Brazil
Birthday celebrations in Brazil call for lavish decorations. The home of the birthday child is filled with banners and brightly colored decorations. Children’s birthday parties are considered family events and both adults and children gather to celebrate the occasion. In addition to a birthday cake and a full spread of food, there are also special birthday candies shaped like fruit. These candies are often coconut flavored and very sweet.

Birthdays in Peru
Party hats are common at Peruvian birthday parties and often homemade out of colored paper. Just as children in the United States receive goodie bags at many children’s birthday parties, children in Peru receive specific party favors when they attend the birthday party of a friend. The favors are known as “recordatorio” or souvenirs of the event. The first recordatorio is a bag of treats. The second recordatorio is an elaborate pin, like a collectors item, that children keep to remember the event. The birthday child’s pin is made in honor of their birthday party.

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