Contents
- 1. Origin: “Roman trace”
- 2. (Un)childish pleasure?
- 3. Holiday as a way to adapt
- 4. Cake and candles: a mysterious story
- 5.From paganism to piety
- 6. The Chinese are “born” … in a year?
- 7. The second birth of a popular song
- 8. The opportunity to feel loved
- 9. Relative age effect
- 10. Date of birth affects sports career
Unfortunately, birthdays are only once a year. But this is a great occasion for a holiday – even at home, when friends are temporarily available only online. And if the flow of toasts suddenly dries up at a party, interesting facts about this tradition will become fuel for new ideas.
No matter how different we are, we are united by a simple fact: everyone has a birthday. And unless you were born on a leap year on February 29, it will come in the next 365 days.
Not everyone likes to celebrate this event: for some, this is an unpleasant reminder of age, and someone in childhood was not taught to treat a birthday as a personal holiday. However, for most this day is still joyful. Here are some interesting facts about this holiday.
1. Origin: “Roman trace”
The ancient Romans were the first to celebrate the birthdays of family members, friends and business partners, arranging feasts with gifts and prayers.
2. (Un)childish pleasure?
Today, the holiday is primarily for children, but in past centuries it was mostly the prerogative of adults. The turn of the younger ones came only in the XNUMXth century and, in fact, thanks to the Germans – they even came up with a special term: kinderfeste, “children’s holiday”.
3. Holiday as a way to adapt
In the XNUMXth century, birthdays were recognized as important rituals in a child’s life. Perhaps marking each new date helps him adapt to the biological and social age-related changes of each new stage of growth.
4. Cake and candles: a mysterious story
Where did the birthday cake tradition come from? Historians’ opinions differ. The ancient Egyptians used candles during coronations to elevate people to the level of gods with their flame. Later, the ancient Greeks placed candles on moon-shaped honey cakes baked for the goddess Artemis. They believed that the smoke raises prayers and wishes to the heights of Mount Olympus, where the gods lived.
Another hypothesis claims that birthday cake and candles originated from the German tradition of placing a candle in the center of a bread or cake with the image of the baby Jesus, which symbolized the light of life.
5.From paganism to piety
In the period of early Christianity, the celebration of a birthday was considered a pagan tradition, but in the Middle Ages people celebrated the days of the saints whose name they were baptized. Later, this practice was transferred to calendar birthdays. And even a belief appeared that holidays with guests, good wishes and cheerful feasts drive away evil spirits.
6. The Chinese are “born” … in a year?
In China, a baby is considered a newborn when it turns one year old. That is, a two-year-old from the West will be considered a one-year-old here.
7. The second birth of a popular song
The song that Marilyn Monroe so emotionally sang for John F. Kennedy was actually written by the Hill Sisters, members of the progressive educational movement, in 1893. The original lines of “Good Morning to All” were later changed to “Happy Birthday to You”, leaving the melody.
8. The opportunity to feel loved
According to a recent study, many people, especially women, tend to feel more loved on their birthdays. Others showed that the majority prefer to celebrate this event with friends and with other significant people. Slightly more than half are with their families and only 12% of respondents are alone. At the same time, half of the people would prefer someone else to organize the holiday for them, the rest are ready to do it themselves, and 18% do not celebrate birthdays at all.
9. Relative age effect
The University of British Columbia published an interesting study: it turned out that the number of CEOs and top managers of companies born in June and July is much smaller than those born in March and April.
Perhaps it’s all about the “relative age effect.” When entering school, children born in the spring are older than their classmates born in the summer and in a more advantageous position. They are often superior to others in physical, emotional and mental development. This may also affect their success in adulthood.
10. Date of birth affects sports career
This effect is especially noticeable in some sports, where older children in a group, team or class are recognized as more talented than their less developed (physically and psychologically) classmates. Older students can get more coaching attention and access to different competitions. This phenomenon is most noticeable in men’s and women’s hockey, men’s tennis and baseball.
In any case, we are lucky to be born in an age where birthdays are considered significant holidays, because it helps to feel more loved on that day and throughout the rest of our lives.