To my daughter Elizabeth, may you enjoy a very happy birthday and a healthy dose of birthday cake.
Have you ever wondered when humans started celebrating birthdays, and why?
Early man recognized the relationship between age and death, and in order to track their own mortality, humans began marking their births with the help of the phases of the sun and moon. The advent of the calendar made this birth day observation much easier and finally provided humans with a specific date they could use to annually track their births. When you stop to think about it, the day of our birth became a macabre marker of our death. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why humans decided to make the day a happy time and celebrate life instead of serving as a grim reminder of our limited time on Earth.
Was there always birthday cake?
No, the invention of birthday cake is attributed to the Germans, who, it is believed, baked the first birthday cake as part of the celebration known as Kinderfest. Originally a coarse, bread-like product, these cakes were eventually transformed into sweeter cakes called, Geburtstagorten. These were the predecessors of the modern day birthday cake.
Where did the candles come from?
The tradition of lighting candles on a cake and making a wish before blowing them out was borrowed from the ancient Greeks. The ancient Greeks used to place lit candles on the top of mooncakes as an offering to the moon goddess, Artemis. Once the candles on the cake were blown out, a wish would be carried to Artemis on the wisps of smoke rising from the extinguished candles.
And the pointy party hats?
Some historians have asserted the pointy hats are a reference to dunce caps, once worn
by misbehaving children in the 17th and 18th centuries. Other theories attribute the pointy party hat to the ancient Egyptians. Cone shaped headgear has appeared in ancient Egyptian sculptures and murals. According to archeologists, these hats have a particular association with childbirth, fertility and healing. This association with childbirth would make these pointy hats the perfect birthday party choice.
Where Does the Birthday Song Come From?
The song's base lyrics have been translated into at least 18 languages. The melody of "Happy Birthday to You" comes from the song "Good Morning to All," written by sisters Patty and Mildred Hill in 1893 for school children. The original lyrics and melody were written to make the tune easy for children to sing.
Happy Birthday and may all of your wishes come true.