Week 3 Extension Activity Birthday Traditions From Around The World

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Week 3 Extension ActivityBirthday Traditions
From Around The World

• Tonya Webber
• ECI524
• Spring 2010

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Birthday Traditions

• There are many different birthday traditions from
  around the world
• I selected a few I found interesting!

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What is a birthday???

• Wikipedia states, A birthday, as the term
  implies, is the anniversary of the particular day
  on which a person was born. Though by no means
  universal, such occasions are celebrated in
  numerous cultures, often with a party or, in some
  instances, a rite of passage. Though major
  religious traditions such as the Buddhist or the
  Christian celebrate the birth of their founders,
  the most obvious example of which is Christmas,
  principled opposition to the very idea of
  celebrating birthdays is to be found among
  certain religious groups.

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China

• Noodles for Lunch. The birthday child pays
  respect to his/her parents and receives a gift of
  money. Friends and relatives are invited to lunch
  and noodles are served to wish the birthday child
  a long life.

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Ecuador

• Pink Dress. When a girl turns 15 there is a great
  celebration and the girl wears a pink dress. The
  father puts on the birthday girls first pair of
  high heels and dances the waltz with her while 14
  maids and 14 boys also dance the waltz.

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England

• It is an old English tradition to mix symbolic
  objects into the birthday cake as it is being
  prepared (in medieval times, objects such as
  coins and thimbles were mixed into the batter).
  People believed that the person who got the coin
  would be wealthy, while the unlucky finder of the
  thimble would never marry. Today, small figures,
  fake coins and small candies are more common.
  Guests are warned ahead of time as well, so that
  no one injures their teeth or swallows a tiny
  treasure.

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Indian

• On a Hindu child's first birthday, his or her
  head is shaved while being held by a special
  fire. Removal of the hair cleanses the child of
  any evil in past lives, symbolizing a renewal of
  the soul.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vIZY3rhvm-Dk
• This is one video of three showing a Hindu
  childs first birthday.

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Mexicohttp//www.youtube.com/watch?vv6_lO_HB
S18

• When a daughter reaches her 15th birthday (which
  is called a "quinceanera"), the birthday is
  celebrated with a special mass in her honor. This
  celebration often includes a religious ceremony
  at church, in which the young lady recognizes her
  heritage and her spiritual journey. A party is
  then given to introduce her to everyone as a
  young woman, and the father may dance a waltz
  with her. In some Latin American countries, a
  young woman changes her shoes from flats to heels
  during the ceremony (this is symbolicit shows
  that she has moved on to a higher level of
  responsibility).

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Germany

• When men reach the age of 30 and they still don't
  have a girlfriend, they have to sweep the stairs
  of the city hall. All their friends will throw
  rubble on the stairs and even when you're
  finished they'll throw some more rubble. This way
  every girl can see that this man reached the age
  of 30 and still doesn't have a girlfriend.

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Nigeria

• The 1st, 5th, 10th and 15th birthdays are
  considered extremely special events. On these
  birthdays they have huge parties which have up to
  100 guests or more. On their birthdays they have
  a feast consisting of an entire roasted cow or
  goat. They also serve a dish called "jollof rice"
  which is rice with tomatoes, red peppers, and
  onions plus cassava which is similar to sweet
  potato.

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How do you celebrate your birthday?

• I am a typical American girl who celebrates my
  birthday with a cake, presents, wishes, family,
  and friends. There have been a few years where I
  have had a big birthday party but not all the
  time.
• I have been to a Jewish Bat Mitzvah before to
  help celebrate my cousins 13th birthday. It was a
  very unique learning experience for me. I was
  able to learn about another culture by seeing the
  ceremony, tasting the food, and joining in on the
  festivities.

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Work Cited

• http//www.coolest-kid-birthday-parties.com/birthd
  ay-traditions.html
• http//www.kidsparties.com/traditions.html
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday
• www.youtube.com