Birthday

It is the anniversary of one’s birth, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with gifts, cards, a party, or a rite of passage.

Many religions celebrate the birth of their founders or religious figures with special holidays (e.g. Christmas; Mawlid; Buddha's Birthday, and Krishna Janmashtami).

There is a distinction between “b’day” short for birthday and “b’date” short for birthdate: the former, except for February 29, occurs each year (e.g. January 15), while the latter is the complete date when a person was born (e.g. January 15, 2001).

In many parts of the world, an individual's birthday is celebrated by a party where a specially made cake, usually decorated with lettering and the person's age, is presented. The cake is traditionally studded with the same number of lit candles as the age of the individual, or a number candle representing their age.

The celebrated individual will usually make a silent wish and attempt to blow out the candles in one breath; if successful, a tradition holds that the wish will be granted. In many cultures, the wish must be kept secret or it won't "come true". Presents are bestowed on the individual by the guests appropriate to their age.

Other birthday activities may include entertainment (sometimes by a hired professional, i.e. a clown, magician, or musician), and a special toast or speech by the birthday celebrant. The last stanza of Patty Hill's and Mildred Hill's famous song, "Good Morning to You" (unofficially titled "Happy Birthday to You") is typically sung by the guests at some point in the proceedings. In some countries a pi?ata takes the place of a cake.

In Judaism, Rabbis are divided about celebrating this custom, although it was accepted by the majority of the faithful.

In Christianity’s, ?Early centuries – Origen of Alexandria (c. 185 – c. 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, in his commentary "On Levites" wrote that Christians should not only refrain from celebrating their birthdays, but should look on them with disgust.

Middle ages – Ordinary folk celebrated their saint's day (the saint they were named after), but nobility celebrated the anniversary of their birth day.

Modern times – The Catholic Church; the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Protestantism, accept birthdays as part of their traditional culture, while, Jehovah's Witnesses abstain from it for a number of reasons including its pagan origins, its rejection by early Christians, the way it is negatively expounded in the Holy Scriptures and the customs associated with superstition and magic.

In Islam, birthdays do not reflect Islamic tradition, and because of this, the majority of Muslims refrain from celebrating it, while, for some it is not a problem, as long as it is not accompanied by behavior contrary to Islamic tradition.

A good portion of Muslims, (and Arab Christians), who have emigrated to the United States and Europe, celebrate birthdays as customary especially for children, while, some abstain. There is also much controversy regarding the permissibility of celebrating Mawlid, (the anniversary of the Prophet's birth), as some Muslims judge the custom as an unacceptable practice according to Islamic tradition.

In Buddhism (Mahayana), many monasteries celebrate the anniversary of Buddha's birth, usually in a highly formal, ritualized manner. They treat Buddha's statue as if it was Buddha himself, as if he were alive; bathing, and "feeding" him.

In Hinduism, Hindus celebrate the birth anniversary day every year when the day that corresponds to lunar month or solar month (Sun Signs Nirayana System – Sourava Mana Masa) of birth and has the same asterism (Star/Nakshatra) as that of the date of birth. That age is reckoned whenever Janma Nakshatra of the same month passes.

Hindus regard death to be more auspicious than birth since the person is liberated from the bondages of material society. Also, traditionally, rituals & prayers for the departed are observed on 5th and 11th day with many relatives gathering.

In Sikhism, a birthday isn't typically celebrated unless for a young child.

A half-birthday is a day approximately six months before or after the anniversary of a person's birth. It is sometimes marked by people whose birthday falls near major holidays, the celebration of which may overshadow celebration of the birthday.

An unbirthday (originally written un-birthday) is an event celebrated on all days of the year which are not a person's birthday. It is a neologism, which, first appeared in Lewis Carroll's 1871 novel "Through the Looking-Glass". The concept gave rise to "The Unbirthday Song" in the 1951 animated feature film "Alice in Wonderland".

Birthdaying, is the one day of the year that you should be able to do whatever you want, but ends up being the day that you do what everyone else thinks you want…

Food for thought!