9unit10BirthdayTraditionsinDifferentCountries

1、Some traditions are quite similar in many parts of the world; birthday candles which carry wishes up toGod, birthday games which gauge how much more a child can do versus last year, and birthdaypinches or taps which ensure good luck for the coming year. Some traditions are more specific tocertain co

2、untries.Africa - Initiation Ceremonies. In various African nations they hold initiation ceremonies for groups ofchildren instead of birthdays. When children reach a certain designated age, they learn the laws, beliefs,customs, songs and dances of their tribes.Argentina - Dance the waltz at 15.When g

3、irls turn 15 they have a huge party and dance thewaltz with their father and other boys.Brazil - Pulls on the earlobe. The birthday child receives a pull on the earlobe for each year they havebeen alive.Canada - Greasing the nose with butter or margarine.In Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, PrinceEdward

4、 Island and Newfoundland) the birthday child is ambushed and their nose is greased for goodluck. The greased nose makes the child too slippery for bad luck to catch them. This tradition is reputedto be of Scottish decent. Birthday punches. In Quebec the birthday person receives a punch for eachyear

5、they are alive and then one for good luck.China - Noodles for Lunch. The birthday child pays respect to his/her parents and receives a gift ofmoney. Friends and relatives are invited to lunch and noodles are served to wish the birthday child along life.Cuba - Food, music, pinatas and lots of people.

6、 The celebrations are very similar to the United States;food, decorations, gifts, pinatas, cake, candles, happy birthday song and games.But alot of people are invited including neighbors, friends, co-workers and family even if they dont have kidsaround the birthday childs age.Denmark - Flying Flags.

7、 A flag is flown outside a window to designate that someone who lives in thathouse is having a birthday. Presents are placed around the childs bed while they are sleeping so theywill see them immediately upon awakening.Ecuador - Pink Dress. When a girl turns 15 there is a great celebration and the g

8、irl wears a pink dress.The father puts on the birthday girls first pair of high heels and dances the waltz with her while 14 maidsand 14 boys also dance the waltz.England - Fortune Telling Cakes and Bumps. Certain symbolic objects are mixed into the birthday cakeas it being prepared. If your piece o

9、f cake has a coin in it, then you will be rich. Also, when its yourbirthday your friends give you the bumps they lift you in the air by your hands and feet and raise youup and down to the floor, one for each year then one for luck, two for luck and three for the old manscoconut!Germany - Candles lef

10、t burning for the day. A member of the birthday person s family wakes up atsunrise and lights the candles on the birthday cake. There are as many candles as the years of age ofthe birthday person plus one for good luck. The candles are left burning all day long. After dinner thatnight then everyone

11、sings the birthday song and the birthday person blows out the candles. If all of thecandles are blown out in one try then the wish of the birthday person will come true. Presents are thenopened and the party starts.Germany - Sweeping the stairs of city hall. When men reach the age of 30 and they sti

12、ll dont have agirlfriend that they have to sweep the stairs of the city hall. All there friends will throw rubble on the stairsand when youre finished theyll throw some more rubble there. This way every girl can see that this manreached the age of 30 and still doesnt have a girlfriend (and that he c

13、an clean a house very well!).Guyana - Special dishes. Chicken, duck or lamb curry with rice are the main dishes at the birthdaycelebration. A family member usually bakes a fruit, black or sponge for the birthday boy/girl to cut. Theperson celebrating their birthday will wear something fancy.Holland

14、- Crown Years. Special year birthdays such as 5, 10, 15, 20, 21 are called crown years. Thebirthday child receives an especially large gift on a crown year birthday. The family also decorates thebirthday childs chair at the dining room table with seasonal flowers or paper streamers, paper flowersand

15、 balloons. At school the birthday child can give their classmates something to eat and the teachermakes the child a birthday hat, often made of paper streamers or paper flowers.India - Colored dress and chocolates. At school the birthday child wears a colored dress and passes outchocolates to the en

16、tire class, with the help of a trusted friend.Ireland - Birthday Bumps. The birthday child is lifted upside down and bumped on the floor for goodluck. The number of bumps given is the age of the child plus one for extra good luck.Israel - Chair Raising. A small child sits in a chair while grown-ups

17、raise and lower it a number of timescorresponding to the childs age, plus one for good luck.Italy - Pulling ears. The childs ears are pulled as many times as how old they are turning.Japan - New Clothes. The birthday child wears entirely new clothes to mark the occasion. Certainbirthdays are more im

18、portant than others and these are celebrated with a visit to the local shrine.Lithuania - Garlands and lifting the chair.A garland is hung around the entire door of the home of thebirthday person. The birthday person sits in a decorated chair and family members lift them up to threetimes.Mexico - Pi

19、natas. The pinata, usually made out of paper mache and in the form. of an animal, is filledwith goodies and hung from the ceiling. The birthday child is blindfolded and hits the pinata until it iscracked open. All the children share the goodies. The song Las Mananitas is sung. Also, when adaugher is

20、 15, the birthday is celebrated with a special mass in her honor. A party is then given tointroduce her to everyone as a young woman. The father dances a waltz with her.Nepal -Mark on the forehead. A certain mixture of rice yogurt and color is placed on the birthday childsforehead for good luck.New

21、Zealand - Birthday claps. After the birthday cake is lit, the happy birthday song is sung loudly andoften out of tune and then the person birthday person receives a clap for each year they have been aliveand then one for good luck.Norway - Birthday day. The birthday child stands out in front of thei

22、r class and chooses a friend to sharea little dance while the rest of the class sings a happy birthday song.Panama - Pinatas and large parties. The pinata is the most important item. They are usually made toresemble a character to correspond with a theme. It is filled with candy and confetti and is

23、either hit witha stick or there are ribbons on it to pull. When the cake is served, the happy birthday song is oftenperformed in two languages, Spanish and English. The cake is served with ice cream. The extendedfamily is invited and sometimes up to 100 children are invited.Philippines - Mixture of

24、East and West. Birthday cakes are baked in various sizes and shapes. Thecelebration includes noodles representing long life, balloon decorations and pinatas. Earlier in the daythe family goes to hear Mass and to thank God.Puerto Rico - Taps on the arm. The child gets tapped on the arm for each birth

25、 year. A big party whichincludes a formal dinner is held.Russia - Birthday Pies. Instead of a birthday cake, many Russian child receive a birthday pie with abirthday greeting carved into the crust.Scotland - A pound note and a soft smack. A pound note is given for every year old the child is plus an

26、additional pound for good luck. A soft smack on the bottom is also given for each year.South Africa - Presentation of a key at age twenty-one. On the twenty-first birthday a key made ofanything from paper to aluminum foil to silver to gold is presented by the parents as a sign that the childis ready

27、 to unlock the door to their future.United States - Cake, candles and song. A cake is made, and candles are put on top based on how oldthe person is. Then everyone sings the happy birthday song, and at the end of the song, the birthdaychild blows out the candles. If they blow them all out with one blow, their birthday wishes will come true.Uruguay - A waltz at age 15 for a girl. The principal ritual of a birthday is the cake with candles and lightsout, with th