Birthdays are a grand occasion! In many cultures, birthdays are celebrated every year with presents, decorations, balloons, treats, and of course, the ever- popular birthday cake. Or some people choose to travel for their birthday and celebrate at an exciting, or relaxing destination, where a birthday gift baskets for her, a special birthday dinner for him, or even the birthday cake in their destination stay can be arranged as a surprise on their arrival!
In addition to birthday traditions, below are some fun facts about birthdays that just may surprise you!
- The Origin of the birthday is believed, by historians, to have begun with the Romans. On the birthdate of family members, business contacts, and friends, the celebrant was embellished with banquets, presents and prayers.
- Giving a birthday card is a beloved tradition. It acknowledges the celebrant’s birthday, and lets you send a personal birthday message. An average of 2 billion birthday cards are sent out each year! Not only that, but 58% of all birthday cards sent are birthday cards!
- The tradition of Cake and Candles has many different origin possibilities. The placement of candles on birthday cakes has various potential origins. Candles were used by Ancient Egyptians during coronations. These coronations raised the status of a mere human to an honored God. The ancient Greeks later placed candles on honey cakes shaped like the moon, and made for the goddess Artemis. The ancient Greeks believed that the smoke from blown-out candles lifted prayers and desires to the tops of Mount Olympus. There is also the birthday candles origin believed to be rooted in the German practice of baking a bread or cake to denote the likeness of baby Jesus, and placing a candle in the center of bread or cake. The candle symbolized the light of life.
- In 1893, Sisters Mildred and Patty Hill, who were involved in the progressive education movement in the late 19th and 20th centuries, wrote the song “Good Morning to All” in which the tune was kept, but the lyrics were changed to “Happy Birthday to You.”
- Of all of the possible birthday months available, that being 12, one of these months has more birthdays than all of the others. The most common and popular birthday month is the month of August.
- If you think you have ever over spent, or over indulged on your birthday, this celebrant says “challenge accepted,” and more than likely has you beat! The Sultan of Brunei, for his 50th birthday, basked in such a birthday party celebration that it cost him $27.2 million dollars! Yes, that is in US Dollars!
- Have you ever asked an Executive or CEO of a company what month their birthday is in? It turns out that the most common months for boss birthdays are March and April. A study conducted by senior author Maurice D. Levy from the University of British Columbia, of CEOs at S&P 500 companies found that March and April birthdays trumped birthdays of the months of June and July, along with all other months.
- Anne Frank, who most learn about in their childhood, had a very significant birthday. Her infamous diary (Anne Frank’s diary) was given to her on her 13th birthday.
- Everyone has what is known as the “Golden Birthday.” A person’s Golden Birthday is the specific birthday when a person’s date of birth and his or her age is exactly the same. Explained, if a person’s date of birth is on the 12th of a month and the celebrant turns 12, their 12th birthday is their Golden Birthday.
- We usually receive our birth certificates for free, or at a low cost. Not in the case of Paul McCartney, though. His birth certificate is the world’s most expensive on record, auctioning for $84,146 US dollars in March of 1997!
These 10 facts about birthdays are interesting, to say the least. They’re also great for birthday celebration conversation starters! You may have a guest that is a historian, and would enjoy sharing knowledge about the origin of your birthday, or a guest who has an interest in the Diary of Anne Frank. Or perhaps, a mathematician who would delight in explaining the math rationale of the Golden Birthday.
All things considered, birthdays can be celebrated on a budget, even when we indulge a bit more on milestone birthdays. We do tend to spend more on milestone birthdays, for example, such as the Sweet 16, our 21st, 40th or 50th birthdays, and various milestone birthdays in other cultures as well. But, birthdays can be celebrated at a reasonable cost, unless of course, you are the winner of the auction of Paul McCartney’s birth certificate, or the Sultan of Brunei!
