Birthdays are a day to take stock, but by the same hand, they can be days with the pressure of self-judgment. Some birthdays offer additional challenges – like shared birthdays among twins and other multiples, as well as birthdays that fall on other holidays. Perhaps the hardest challenge of all birthdays is humble self-acceptance. A mantra can go a long way toward supporting self acceptance: “I am always changing. This day, and every day.”
In the German birthday song, the message offered is: “We rejoice that you were born!” As children grow up, they may find themselves able to turn the table, honoring their parents as the cultivators of their growth. As your family creates their birthday traditions, here is an inspiration: One woman described how each birthday, from the very first, her mother privately told her birth story. The details were vivid, and she listened with baited breath to every one of them, as if she’d never heard the story before. The story never got old.
How about making a book that gets revisited every year with a new entry for a special statement like: “Something I will want to remember forever from this year is…” List a new skill learned, a new friend made, a challenge overcome, or a meaningful memory.
Birthday Traditions from Around the World
China
The most special of the birthday traditions in China is for babies and for the very old. New parents give red eggs (an even number) to friends and family for good luck. Common presents include food, silverware, and money wrapped in red paper. On birthdays, it is common to eat longevity noodles without breaking them for good luck to live a long life
Egypt
Egyptians like to invite many people to their birthday parties! Often they have two birthday cakes, one cake with candles. They often decorate their home with garlands called zeena that look like chains of snowflakes.
