Birthday Traditions

The birthday cake has been an integral part of the birthday celebrations in western European countries since the middle of the 19th century, which extended to Western culture. Certain rituals and traditions, such as singing of birthday songs, associated with birthday cakes are common to many Western cultures. The Western tradition of adding lit candles to the top of a birthday cake originates in 18th-century Germany. However, the intertwining of cakes and birthday celebrations stretch back to the Ancient Romans. The development of the birthday cake has followed the development of culinary and confectionery advancement. While throughout most of Western history, these elaborate cakes in general were the privilege of the wealthy, birthday cakes are nowadays common to most Western birthday celebrations. Around the world many variations on the birthday cake, or rather the birthday pastry or sweets, exist. Birthday cakes. The Birthday Cake is something that every child looks forward to and expects ---it's part of life.  The cake needs to be their favorite cake with candles that they can blow out and make a birthday wish.   When I was eight years old my mother died.  Six months later I had a birthday cake; I blew out the candles and made my wish just as I had in the proceeding seven years. The birthday hat. The birthday hat speaks to who the family is and what the family is all about.  The birthday mom, dad or child wears the Birthday Hat at the Birthday dinner whether it held in the home or in a restaurant. You can add ornaments, icons or tokens to the hat that reflect the wearer; these should stay with the hat from year to year. The Birthday Treasure Hunt. A birthday treasure hunt takes a bit of work and planning but it's a way to extend the birthday celebration throughout the day if you make it difficult enough.  Like all treasure hunts it involves a clue which leads the celebrant to a gift and another clue, the gifts can be of meaning and of value as well as gag gifts. Our most memorable birthday treasure hunt was on my wife's fortieth birthday.  The final clue was something like; "you'll find your final treasure where only a polar bear could live."  After some hunting she found a $100 dolor bill I'd hidden in the freezer.  That bill was far from the most expensive gift I've ever given her but she still refers to this as one of her best birthdays.  Kerry Grinkmeyer