Birthdays

The day you are born is your birthday.

Every year on your birthday you are one year older.

Some kids have a party on their birthday.

We sing a song to a birthday person.

We give them presents.

A birthday is a happy time when a family gets together to share special food.

Here are some ways birthdays are celebrated in a few different countries.

A family celebration - photograph © [2007] Jupiterimages Corporation

In Germany one family member wakes up early and lights candles on the birthday cake. There is one candle for every year and one extra for good luck. The candles are left burning all day, and after dinner everyone sings the birthday song and the birthday child tries to blow out all the candles in one go. If they do, their wishes will come true.

In Holland, there are special crown birthdays: 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th and 21st. The birthday person gets an extra big present in their crown years. The family decorate the birthday chair in the dining room with flowers, streamers and balloons.

In Mexico, at a birthday party a pinata (say pin-ya-tuh) filled with sweets is hung up. Children play a game hitting the pinata with a stick till it breaks and then they gather up the sweets that fall out.

A pinata - photograph © [2007] Jupiterimages Corporation

In Vietnam everyone celebrates their birthday on New Year’s Day. No matter when a baby is born during the year, it turns one at its first New Year.

In China they believe that a baby is one year old when it is born. The second birthday is a special event and so is the sixth birthday. The birthday child receives a gift of money. At a birthday lunch, long noodles are served to wish the birthday child a long life.

In India, children wear new clothes on their birthday. The family goes to church called a temple. A birthday meal might be a curry followed by dessert that is like rice pudding, with different nuts and spices in it.

In Japan, the year a girl turns 3 and 7 and the year a boy turns 5, they go to a temple on November 15^th and pray for a long life. On their  birthday, children wear a new kimono, the traditional Japanese clothes.

A Japanese boy in his new kimono - photograph © [2007] Jupiterimages Corporation

In Australia the birthday child has a cake with the same number of candles as their age, and everyone sings the birthday song. Sometimes everyone claps one clap for each year and one extra to grow. Party food includes fairy bread, which is bread and butter and coloured sprinkles. Often tiny little meat pies are served, and sometimes chocolate treats called chocolate crackles.

In the USA and in lots of other places, children blow out candles on their birthday cake. The number of candles is the same as the age of the birthday person. At the end of the birthday song, the birthday child blows out the candles. If they can blow out all the candles in one blow, birthday wishes will come true.

In some countries a name day is celebrated instead of a birthday, although now more people have started to celebrate their birthday as well. Greece is one country where this is done. A name day is the special day of a saint, and people who were named that saint's name celebrate on that day. There is special food, lots of music and dancing on people’s name days and birthdays.

Go here to see how to say Happy Birthday in different languages:
http://www.birthdaycelebrations.net/howhappybirthdayissaid.htm

Go here to see some birthday party ideas:
http://www.activitiesforkids.com/birthday/birthday_hints.htm

Go here for birthday party games:
http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/partygames.htm

If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge the source in your bibliography like this:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Birthdays [online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2010)

photographs © [2007] Jupiterimages Corporation
Updated May 2010 ©kidcyber