For a lot of people, birthdays are their favourite day of the year. They look forward to this day all year around and are excited to spend the day with family and friends and maybe even throw a birthday party. Every birthday can be different but you probably have certain traditions that you would like to do on every one of your birthdays. These traditions vary from culture to culture and in this article, I am going to show you birthday traditions from 10 different countries around the world.
1. Greasy Nose (Canada)
Especially in the east of Canada, you can expect to get butter smeared on your nose on your birthday. The grease makes the nose so slippery that any bad luck the birthday person might run into simply slides right back off the nose and as you get older, the amount of butter on your nose slowly increases.
2. Flour Party (Caribbean)
In parts of the Caribbean, f.e. Jamaica, it is a must to get flour thrown at your face on your birthday. To make things more fun, the birthday person might also get water thrown in their face first to ensure that the flour is going to stick to their face.
3. Ear Pulling (Spain, Hungary, Brazil)
This birthday tradition can be found in multiple countries and cultures. In Spain, the birthday person gets as many ear tugs as years they have been alive, plus an extra one for good luck. In Hungary and Brazil, the custom comes from the wish that the birthday person lives so long their ears reach the ankle (Hungary) or touch the ground (Brazil).
4. Longevity Noodles (China)
In China, birthdays are not necessarily only a celebration of being born, but also a wish for long life and that is where yī miàn, long-life noodles, come into play. People celebrating their birthdays have to slurp the entire length of the noodles (8 meters) into their mouths without biting them off to live a long life of happiness.
5. Birthday Bumps (UK)
This common tradition in the UK and Ireland involves taking the arms and legs of the person celebrating their birthday and gently bumping them into the air. Same as for ear pulling, the person gets one bump for each year they have lived and an extra bump for good luck.
6. Rice Yogurt on the Forehead (Nepal)
On special occasions, such as birthdays, “tika”, the (often) red dot in between the eyebrows is applied. It is a significant element in Hinduism and symbolizes purity of faith, devotion and the center of creation. Tikas are made from dried turmeric or red powder mixed with water and rice.
7. Cake Man (Denmark)
Especially on younger children’s birthdays, kagemand (cake man) or kagekone (cake woman) is a must. It is a cake in the shape of a person, made out of sweet, yeast dough. The figure is then given clothing and a hairstyle out of colorful confections. Tradition has it that the first cut is made at the throat to behead the cake woman/ man.
8. Gifts For Guests (Russia)
To make the gift giving even, the birthday person not only receives birthday presents from their guest, but they also give presents to their guests. This is done by playing a game that involves a clothesline. Beforehand, the birthday person hangs up prizes on the line that the guests can win and then no one goes home empty-handed.
9. Piece Of Cake Giveaway (Brazil)
Instead of cutting the cake in pieces and randomly handing it out to their guests, the birthday person gives the first piece of cake to the person they love the most.
10. Morning Patty (Ghana)
A fried patty made out of sweet potatoes and eggs does not sound like a typical birthday breakfast. However, waking up to this special treat called “oto” is a tradition in Ghana and the best way to start the day.
As you can see, every country and culture has its birthday traditions and different ways of celebrating someone’s birthday.
If you ever find yourself celebrating your birthday in a different culture, I hope you get to experience everything that comes with it and enjoy your special day!
Sources:
https://omgnepal.com/tika-all-about-that-little-red-dot-that-we-wear/ (Dorjee Khando, July 2022)
https://www.santaferelo.com/en/moving/news-and-blog/birthday-traditions-around-the-world-a-guide-for-expats/ (Santa Fe Relocation, March 7th, 2019)
https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/5-weird-birthday-traditions-youve-probably-never-heard-of/3trptct (ELizabeth Omo, August 25th, 2022)
https://blog.serenataflowers.com/pollennation/weird-birthday-traditions-from-around-the-world/ (Lily Calyx, October 15th, 2015)