Traditions to celebrate a birthday in different countries
The birthday is a most favorite holiday for all children, when all the attention is only to a hero of the event. So we will talk about birthday traditions in different countries. Traditions to celebrate a birthday vary from continent to continent, from country to country, let’s see what kind oftraditions different nations have:
Asia:
I guess in China, a birthday is a best day of a year, because most families has only one child last time due to demographical reasons, so all the attention of parents and guests is to a kid. Though all kids are obliged to show a respect to his/her parents. Like, for example, girls must help in cooking and boys in house keeping. Normally noodles are invited to wish a child a long happy life.
Children of Japanhave a largest number of holidays. Besides a birthday they has special holidays for girls and boys separately, holidays devoted to a certain human age. The born of a child is the most important event in life of the family. I would like to emphasize that the most important birthday dates of a child are 1, 3, 5, 7 years like 60 and 70 for olderly people.
In Vietnam, unfortunately, they do not recognize their individual birthdays, but use to celebrate it at the beginning of the New Year.
In Koreathe most significant birthday is called “tol” and celebrated on the first year child’s birth. It includes certain traditions like a kind of fortunetelling, when people are trying to guess about the future of a child. They place things on the table in front of the child and let him to choose one of items. When he or she will grow up – he will get a profession or skills depending on what he or she chose. This popular old tradition has a place nowadays and has spread to other countries.
Africa:
In South Africapeople are following an old tradition: a presentation of a key made of aluminum foil or silver, or even gold, given by parents at age 21. It is suppose to be a symbol of a child’s readiness to unlock the door to his/her future.
In Europe the birthday celebration is quite similar thing, though each culture has a special zest:
For example, in Denmark, a flag is hoisted outside a window symbolizing the birthday of the house owner or someone who lives in. To make the child feel happy on birthday parents place all gifts around the bed while he/she is sleeping, then he/she can see them immediately upon awaking.
The special birthday dates in Holland are 5, 10, 15, 20, and 21 – on these birthdays the boy or girl usually gets great gifts. And, of course, living in the country of Flowers – parents decorate the kid’s room, tables, chairs with beautiful flowers and balloons.
We can keep talking about birthday traditions in different countries as there are more then 200 countries in the world, not talking about nations or national groups.
Still one or the integral parts of each birthday all over the world are a birthday cake and birthday cards. We wish you every your birthday to be better then the previous one gathering many devoted friends and relatives together!
