Saturday, September 11, 2010

Birthday Traditions For Different Countries

By Steven K. Conlan

Birthdays are synonymous to fun and celebrations in every corner of the world. Nevertheless, the way you celebrate the joyful occasion could greatly depend on the place you're residing in. Birthdays are celebrated in varied ways in various countries ranging from easy, sweet to funny and wild. Let us shed some light on the various birthday traditions worldwide.

While most countries celebrate birthday for what it is; people in Africa organize initiation ceremonies instead of the traditional birthday party. The initiation ceremony is organized only after the child has reached a particular age. As a part of the ceremonial proceedings, they're made to understand several things, including laws, songs and several customs and beliefs of the country.

Another country which has a very amusing birthday celebration is Argentina. The girls are required to celebrate their 15th birthday by dancing with their fathers and other boys, specifically a waltz dance. This is surely a unique yet very healthy birthday tradition. It helps maintain excellent health by preventing rise in blood pressure readings.

Have you ever heard about the greasing of the nose on birthdays? This is precisely what happens in Canada. The nose of the birthday boy or the birthday girl is greased with butter. This is done so that any ill luck slips off the nose of the individual. Another famous birthday tradition practiced in Canada is punching the person. The birthday person receives punches equivalent to his. This tradition is generally practiced in Quebec.

In Brazil, earlobes are pulled to celebrate peoples' birthdays. On each birthday, the earlobes of the individual are pulled as many times as his or her age on the day. The birthday boy or girl is also expected to present the first slice of the birthday cake to the most crucial individual in their lives. Girls celebrating their 15th birthday are even expected to dance with fifteen different boys on the day; with every individual boy representing a year of her life. All that dancing is certain to strengthen overall fitness levels as well.

In case you'd like to get rich on your birthday, China is the country for you. Parents in this country, commonly gift their kids a substantial sum of money as birthday gift . Guests are normally invited for a birthday lunch and noodles are the staple dish for this occasion.

Keeping your birthday secretive could be a difficult in case you're in Denmark. In Denmark, people place a flag outside the house to indicate that someone in the house is celebrating his/her birthday. Another popular birthday tradition is to place gifts along the bed when the child is still sleeping. This is done so that the child sees the gift as soon as he wakes up, so the child starts the day on a joyful note.

It doesn't matter what the birthday tradition is, the bottom line remains the same- to impart good luck and happiness to the birthday boy/ girl.

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