Whenever we think of birthday celebrations, cake and candles instantly come to mind. But have you ever wondered why it is so? What made these two things an intricate part of celebrating yet another trip around the sun? Here is the answer.
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As per the Farmers’ Almanac website, the modern birthday celebration that has been adopted in cosmopolitan cultures around the globe is rooted in an amalgamation of ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, German, and Christian traditions.
The reason for having cake and candles on birthdays
The reason why we celebrate birthdays by cutting a cake can be traced back to ancient Egypt and is tied to coronation ceremonies. Later, the Greeks expanded upon the celebration by placing candles on the moon-shaped honey cakes made for the lunar goddess Artemis. The lighted candles signified that a prayer was being sent to the heavens.
Cakes were also served by the Romans to guests on special occasions, not necessarily birthdays. Over the centuries, the birthday cake became traditional.
{{/usCountry}}Cakes were also served by the Romans to guests on special occasions, not necessarily birthdays. Over the centuries, the birthday cake became traditional.
{{/usCountry}}When it comes to the birthday candles, another theory for their origin suggests that the practise started in Germany. There, a candle would be placed in the middle of bread or cake baked in the shape of baby Jesus, which symbolised the light of life.
But then why did we start blowing out candles? The explanation takes us back to the ancient Greeks, who believed that the rising smoke from the blown candles took one’s prayers and wishes up to the sky, where the gods lived.
However, some cultures prefer to keep at least one candle burning afterwards. This practice can be traced back to Europe, where birthday candles were often kept burning all day, both to celebrate the occasion and to ward off evil spirits.
The origin of modern birthday celebrations
According to the Farmers’ Almanac, early Christians considered birthday acknowledgements pagan in nature, as people were born in original sin, until the birth of Jesus.
In Medieval times, common Christians celebrated their individual saints’ days, as they may have been named after one. However, if an individual came from privilege, they celebrated their actual birthday.
Birthday parties as a tradition are said to have evolved centuries ago in Europe, where superstition proffered that evil spirits were particularly attracted to people on their birthdays.
Friends would be sure to visit the birthday individual’s home, revel, extend good wishes, laugh a lot, and surely make a lot of noise, all to scare off any evil that may be lurking about.