The birthday is the anniversary of a person’s birth, typically observed as an occasion for celebration and gifts. In the English-speaking world, the birthday is often celebrated with a special meal and cake. It is also a common practice to send greeting cards to friends and relatives on their birthdays.
A birthday can also be a time for reflection on the year that has passed and an opportunity to make resolutions for the coming one. People may wish for health, happiness and good luck on their birthdays. They may also set goals and intentions, and look back on the achievements of their life.
It is important to note that not everyone celebrates birthdays. Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, do not observe this holiday. In some cases, the term birthday may also be used to refer to the recurring annual marking of a particular date, such as a public event or an object: “Next month is the museum’s birthday.”
The word birthday comes from the Latin byrddaeg, which means “day of the month”. It was originally a naming day for a baby; the name would be given on the first day after the birth, corresponding with the calendar month. Later, it was extended to all anniversaries of a person’s life.
There are many birthday traditions throughout the world, and these differ widely by culture. The oldest is probably the Egyptians, who believed that when they crowned their pharaohs, it wasn’t just a change in government, but a “birthing” as gods. This was celebrated as a major event, and is perhaps the first birthday celebrated in history.
As cultures migrated and blended, they took the basic concept of birthdays with them and infused it with their own beliefs, customs, and symbols. The lighting of candles, for example, stems from ancient Greek rituals that spelled out protection from evil spirits. The tradition of gifting, a way to wish the celebrant happiness and good fortune in the coming year, owes much to the Romans, who believed that offering gifts was an act of sacrifice and gratitude.
Today, many countries have formal traditions that revolve around the birthday celebration. These may include parades, speeches, toasts and wishes from friends and family members, presents, cake and other foods. Presents are usually wrapped in brightly colored paper and accompanied by cards. It is a custom in many cultures to have guests sing happy birthday to the celebrant. In the United States, the birthday song, originally sung to Patty and Mildred Hill by their mother, was published in 1912 in a piano manufacturer’s songbook, and was included in the Hall & McCreary Company’s The Golden Book of Favorite Songs in 1915 and Robert H. Coleman’s Harvest Hymns in 1924, eight years after the sisters’ deaths.
Regardless of the traditions in a specific country, most people have some kind of birthday celebration, and many enjoy the social interaction with friends and family that it provides. Some people like to mark the occasion with an informal gathering, a picnic or a barbeque. Others prefer to have a more intimate family dinner or a small party.