birthdays all over the WORLD

By Valerie Escalante and Aline Mendoza

Is it ten more days until your birthday? Wait, one more day?! We better start looking for ways to celebrate then! Even if you are used to the regular birthday celebration, there are many different ways to celebrate in each nation! From Latin America to over here in the United States, birthdays are a special celebration that many take seriously. Whether it’s food, or a big birthday bash, birthdays are celebrated in various ways, but are all equally important.

One of the many countries that have a unique way of celebrating are places such as Mexico or any other country in South America. These traditions include “Las Mañanitas” which is a commonly used Spanish version of “Happy Birthday.” Another common tradition is someone pushing your head into the cake. People also take a bite of the cake after blowing the candles out. Taking a bite of the cake represents good luck. In addition, people usually use piñatas at their parties. As littlepassports.com shows, piñatas are cardboard containers of various shapes and designs that are filled with candy and goods. This method is just a fun way of distributing goods as opposed to regular goodie bags. Lastly littlepassports.com talks about a celebration called “quinceañera”. You may know of quinceañeras as being an important moment in a Hispanic girl's life. This celebration includes elaborate venues and extravagant decorations, such as dresses, shoes, tiaras, jewelry and more. This celebration takes place on the 15th birthday. A special moment for the quinceañera is “la ultima muñeca.” Quinceañeras also

have a group dance and a father-daughter dance.

Let’s not forget other places in the world such as Asia that as well have their own traditions. To name one, China uses food to show the importance of life. According to Duolingo, their cuisines include longevity noodles. These noodles act as a symbol for a long, prosperous life. Another tradition in Asia includes “Paegi” in Korea, which celebrates the 100th day of a baby’s life. In this scenario, they have a huge feast and distribute rice cakes to 100 people. This is believed to give a long life to the baby. As for Japan, they hold a special place for the 3rd, 5th, and 7th birthdays. In this instance, there is a festival named “Shichi-go-san”. This event is held on the 15th of November and includes the children visiting shrines to thank God for their well-being.

Lastly, we all know about the most common birthday celebrations. However, if you are struggling with ideas, we’ve got you covered. The most known birthday traditions here in the US contain the regular party and a birthday cake. Even though there can be much more done. For example, going to an amusement park or having a nice picnic. If you are concerned about the weather on the day of your birthday, there is an abundance of cool activities. For the heat, you can visit the beach or a water park. Adding on, you can also have a pool party or any other refreshing activity. As for the cold, you can always have an indoor party and have some warm treats. If you are an outdoor person you can go to the snow or other places such as Big Bear and Great Wolf Lodge.

In conclusion, you have a variety of options and new knowledge now that you’ve learned about new cultures. Don’t be afraid but be polite when asking people about their traditions and do some research of your own. Even if you don’t do anything for your birthday, it is always a special moment and a nice opportunity to treat yourself.

Now go out there and celebrate!!!

The Burroughs Archive

birthdays all over the WORLD

By Valerie Escalante and Aline Mendoza

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