The History of the Birthday Party! For a long time, no one thought of celebrating a birthday.

We are so used to this holiday that sometimes we think that the tradition of celebrating your birthday has always existed. But where did the tradition of celebrating a birthday come from and when did it originate? Thinking about it well, it would seem simple question most will answer that the beginning of this tradition was laid in the time of Jesus Christ. Yes, such an answer is most common in our age, in particular due to the analogy between the birthday holiday and the Nativity of Christ. However, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the feast of the Nativity of Christ and the tradition of celebrating your birthday, familiar to everyone modern man have nothing in common with each other. Moreover, neither in the holy Bible, nor in other editions of that time, as well as in editions of more early period, there is no mention of the tradition of celebrating birthdays. In fact, before Christian world, and even in the earliest Christianity, such a holiday simply did not exist.

Unfortunately, to date, modern historians do not have any definite data on the origin of the birthday holiday. However, there are two interchangeable theories on this score, which in principle can even complement each other.

Version one: the birthday holiday originated as a secret rite of Black magic, which has pagan roots.

In many publications devoted to Black Magic there are footnotes that original idea The birthday holiday has its roots in the ancient pagan rites. It is quite natural for Black Magic to use spells, asking the favors of both good and evil forces, moreover, in accordance with magical beliefs, the spirit of a person is most vulnerable on the day and hour of his birth and at the same time the most susceptible to spells. Even congratulations and birthday wishes are perceived by Black Magic as spells that can affect a person’s fate, both for good and for bad. Because the good wishes they bring good luck on their birthday, a person should avoid meeting his enemy on his birthday and should be surrounded exclusively by friends, that is, well-wishers.

This is quite like the truth, since both Christianity and Paganism and Black Magic were at one time equal religions, moreover, they fought fierce competition for the souls of their followers. This also explains why the early Christians did not celebrate birthdays, they considered this holiday to be a manifestation of demonic rituals. In particular, the fact that the Jews (the first Christians were only Jews) did not celebrate their birthday is evidenced by the notes of the historian Josephus dating back to the first century of our era: ". Actually, even this fact is interesting in itself, since in the Bible there is no direct indication of the prohibition of the birthday holiday.

Version two: the birthday holiday was born thanks to the cult of worship of the sun god.

The birthday holiday arose thanks to the cult of the ancient Iranian sun god Mithra, widespread in Persia. From the Middle East, the holiday spread throughout Europe through the mediation of the soldiers of the Roman Empire. The birthday celebration has become so popular that it has even replaced the once-traditional Roman holiday.

Whether the first or second version is correct, or both versions of the Birthday celebration have common roots in the first pagan beliefs, but one thing is certain that until the fourth century AD, the birthday celebration was not widely practiced in the Christian world. What happened during this period in the minds of the followers of Christ? Everything is quite simple, firstly, in the fourth century, the ceremony of baptizing infants became widespread. Secondly, the feast of the Nativity of Christ became a public holiday in many parts of the ancient world, and thirdly, the Roman Emperor himself celebrated the birthday while at the same time acknowledging the Christian faith.

Another key to the origin of the holiday and a fact confirming the legitimacy of the second theory of the origin of the birthday holiday is the coincidence of two significant holidays of that time. Christmas and the birthday of the son of the sun god Mithra were celebrated on the same day, namely December 25th.

In conclusion, we can conclude that the most plausible theory of the origin of the birthday holiday is whole line events over thousands of years of human history. It can be assumed that even if the roots of this holiday lie in ancient pagan or magical rites, then a real continuation, a second life, the birthday holiday received thanks to the cult of worship of the sun god Mithra, which in turn was adapted by Christians in the fourth century to suit their needs.
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Birthday is my favorite children's holiday, and in this capacity it rightfully competes with the New Year. But despite the huge popularity of this wonderful holiday, many do not know about its origin, what is birthday history.

The day of the year on which the person was born is the birthday. In many cultures, it is customary to throw parties on birthdays and give gifts to the birthday person. One of the most common birthday rituals is the preparation of a cake with candles stuck in it according to the number of years the birthday person turns. Before cutting the cake, the birthday person blows out all the candles lit on the cake and makes a wish. If you managed to blow out all the candles in one breath, it is believed that the wish will come true.

In addition, depending on the culture, celebrate birthdays famous historical figures, for example, the Nativity of Christ and Mawlid.

The history of the birthday

BIRTHDAY, Natālis dies (cf. Γενέθλιος ἡμέρ), which the ancients solemnly celebrated mainly with a feast for friends (nataliciae dapes). On this day, the house and hearth were decorated with wreaths, a libation was made and incense was smoked, mainly to a genius, the patron saint of the birthday (cf. Hor. ep. 2, 2, 187. 210). The newborn was party dress(toga alba) and accepted birthday greetings and gifts; even the birthdays of the absent and the dead were celebrated. Subsequently, the birthdays of Caesar, Augustus and other emperors were public holidays which were celebrated everywhere. Wed monographs by Schöne (1832) and Petersen (1858)

Yandex dictionaries. Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities

To celebrate a birthday Man has been celebrating ever since the invention of the calendar. Celebrate holiday birthday people all over the world and almost all religions (not counting some sects in which the birthday is the same forbidden holiday as any other).

There is no exact information regarding the origin of this holiday, but there are two main versions.

The first version is that the followers of black magic considered the soul of a person to be the most vulnerable at the time of birth, and any wishes or curses on this day were considered spells. Hence the origin of the tradition of meeting friends all day and avoiding enemies.

According to another version, the Roman soldiers brought the tradition birthday celebrations along with some others Eastern traditions, in particular, birthday celebration the sun god Mithras.

Most likely based birthday traditions there are a number of these and similar facts. It is known, for example, that in 400 AD. e. Roman emperors celebrated their birthdays. And the Bible describes two cases birthday celebrations: 1. Genesis 40:20-22 (recorded circa 1513 BC). 2. Mark 6:21-29 (1st century AD). Both events are presented in a bad light.

The custom of lighting candles on cakes originated among the Greeks... Round, like the moon, honey cakes with thin wax candles lit on them were placed on altars in the temples of Artemis (the goddess of the moon among the Greeks) on her birthday (full moon). (Linton R., Linton A. The Lore of Birthdays. New York, 1952, p. 8, 18-20).

Birthday celebration in Russia

In Russia Birthdays first began to celebrate around the 17th century. This is the latest mention of this holiday in history. Birthday traditions were very different from today. On the evening before the birthday, the family of the birthday boy baked cakes and birthday cakes, brewed beer. On myself Birthday adults (parents, relatives) sang a song about the loaf to the birthday boy. Most often, a birthday coincided with a person's name day, so initially these two holidays were not distinguished.

At children's birthdays, especially in kindergartens, guests (children and a teacher) arrange a round dance around the birthday boy and sing the song "Loaf" and "Let them run awkwardly ...". Now, under the influence of Western culture, “Loaf” is often replaced by “Happy birthday to you”. There is a custom to pull the ears of the celebrant in the number of completed years.

The birthday paradox

In probability theory and in combinatorics, a well-known problem is associated with birthdays, called " birthday paradox". This “paradox” is that in any randomly assembled group of 22 people, with a probability of more than 50%, two or more people have the same birthday (at first glance, this contradicts worldly intuition). As the size of a group of people grows, the probability of having a coincidence in birthdays quickly approaches one: for example, in a randomly collected group of 55 people, two of them have a birthday on the same day with a probability of 99%.

Happy Birthday

This is a wonderful occasion to gather all friends, relatives and close people, colleagues and just good people. It is on this day that it is pleasant to receive not only gifts, but also nice words from loving people, relatives, friends, and colleagues. We are waiting for not just banal, but warm warming words that will warm the soul and leave vivid memories for life.

Some compose Happy Birthday in verses themselves, trying to please loved ones. But not everyone can come up with a funny, bright, memorable text of congratulations. I hope that selections happy birthday in verse and prose, which will be on this holiday portal constantly replenished, will help you from the bottom of your heart to please a person close to you.

When you choose, it is very important to take into account the age, character and temperament of the birthday man. There will be special collections of congratulation texts for children, teenagers, for people in adulthood and the elderly we respect. I hope these compilations help. to celebrate a birthday fun, bright and exciting, and smiles will shine on the faces of the participants, and no one will remain indifferent. After all, speech should contain a "zest" and, of course, should not be repeated.

For your beloved spouse, prepare the most sincere Happy Birthday. Of course, congratulations in verses that you compose yourself will be the best, even if the verses are incoherent, but congratulations to your spouse will come out wholeheartedly. Well, if you don’t feel at all the ability to compose something, then use ready-made congratulations happy birthday to your husband (wife), which you can also find here over time.

If you have a sister, you are very lucky! A sister is one of the closest and dearest people, so on a holiday she deserves only best congratulations. Is your sister's birthday? How to congratulate your beloved sister? Of course, give congratulations to your sister in verse! On New Year or March 8, in or Anniversary congratulations to the sister should be warm and sincere. How old is your sister - it does not matter. Congratulations to a sister at 50 remain as kind as congratulations on her 25th birthday.

Need funny birthday greetings for your friends and family? Please choose - here will be collected the most funny birthday greetings in verse and prose: congratulations to a girlfriend, friend, man, cool congratulations to a girl, women. What could be better than a good joke? funny joke, if you say it at a birthday party, it will make the birthday man laugh!

If you don’t like standard congratulations in verse and prose, and you want to give birthday boy, this portal is for you! Funny and funny congratulations, composed in verse and prose, are perfect for people with a sense of humor who celebrate their own.

How to choose cool congratulations happy birthday? So that what is read Happy Birthday echoed in your soul, touched the thinnest strings of your consciousness. If you found this birthday greetings, then do not hesitate and do not look further - your choice will certainly be appreciated by the people around you.

Birthday is a date to which almost no one is indifferent. Children are waiting for her with undisguised impatience all year, adults are happy to sum up the past period, and mature people note with regret how quickly time flies, especially when it starts counting down. The tradition of a special attitude to the date when a person was born seems natural and familiar to us, so few people think about the history of this holiday, its origin and the transformations that it went through before firmly entering our lives.

Now it is customary for the hero of the occasion to give gifts, and all guests need to have fun and rejoice at the birth of their relative, friend, colleague or acquaintance. The parents of the birthday man do not stand aside either, they can also accept congratulations, even if they are far from their son or daughter.

Versions of occurrence

It is not known for certain how and when such a tradition first appeared. This is a holiday that this moment is the most common in the whole world, it is celebrated by people different countries, ages, religions and wealth levels. The only exceptions are a few sects that deny any festivities other than those associated with their faith.

Historians suggest that the tradition simultaneously originated in many parts of the world, so history has not preserved the only author and the time of the appearance of this custom. But experts distinguish three main versions of the origin. Scientists believe that each of them influenced the formation and emergence of this holiday to varying degrees.

Pagan trail

The pagans attached great importance black magic, closely intertwining events with it Everyday life. It was given special importance at such significant moments as the arrival of a new person in this world or departure to other worlds. According to one belief, each person on his birthday becomes completely defenseless in the face of dark forces, which can attack him and completely enslave a bright soul. Otherworldly forces can come to the birthday man in the form of unfamiliar people or random strangers, so the most reliable protection is to surround yourself with loved ones.

This gave rise to the tradition of dangerous time in the company of relatives, kind and good people, which will save you from meeting with ill-wishers and dark spirits. The louder people will have fun on this day, the more likely they will stay away from the fun of otherworldly forces.

Christian look

A science such as history clearly describes the attitude towards this issue in early Christianity. In ancient times, when Christianity was just born, it became a competitor of paganism, therefore it denied everything pagan customs. This happened with the birthday, the celebration of which was categorically not welcomed by the priests.

Moreover, the Christian church did not consider the arrival of a child into this world a phenomenon that should be admired. The point was a peculiar perception of the world, in accordance with which every Christian comes to this world, full of trials, troubles, sorrows and temptations to go through a difficult earthly path. Here, death was painted in more optimistic tones, since after it there came a transition to the best of the worlds, where everyone who has thrown off the burden of sins will fall.

Eastern gods

Another version sends those who are looking for the roots of the holiday to the east. History describes traditional rite, existing in Persia, during which they celebrated the birthday of one of the most revered gods - Mithra. He was the god of the Sun, that is, the change of seasons, productivity and other important events in the life of the Persians depended on him. therefore this holiday was in scale something like the New Year for the present time.

Roman soldiers who came to Persia around 400 AD learned a lot from Eastern culture and brought stories about it to Ancient Rome. In this way the story of the sun god and in an interesting way honoring came to the west. The emperors, who equated themselves with the gods who rule life on Earth, were not slow to “try on” the rite of honor. Apparently, they liked it and got further distribution.

Nativity

History offers another version associated with the emergence of this festival. Many scholars believe that the tradition took hold after the story of the Nativity of Christ spread among Christians. The Holy Scriptures describe in detail how, after sunrise star of bethlehem Magi came to the barn to the newborn, bringing gifts to the Virgin Mary and Jesus.

Everyone who read the Bible took this as a direct guide, so congratulations and gifts on the occasion of the birth of a new family member became normal and reconciled Christians with the traditions of the pagans, which was reflected not only in the lives of individuals, but also in all subsequent history.

Ancient world

The custom of celebrating a birthday every year could only be born after it was invented detailed calendar for the reckoning, because the date of birth until then remained rather approximate. Age was counted only by the season when the birth occurred.

Studying the history of this tradition, you can find out that even among the most ancient people, the birthday was a special celebration. In order for the newborn to grow strong and strong, it was customary to sacrifice one of the animals. It was believed that the number of living beings should not change after the birth of a new member of the tribe, and if an animal is not brought to the gods as a gift, they will become angry and will soon take the baby back, that is, he will die. Of course, in those days this celebration was not celebrated annually, but took place the only time- immediately after the birth of the child.

Even among the most developed peoples until the 16th century BC. the age of gods, people, rulers was simply not mentioned. AT best case they were described as youths, children, old people, etc. This gave rise to a lot of legends about two hundred and three hundred year old Atlanteans, Titans, etc.

Near East

It is believed that the first mention of the celebration of this holiday as an annual celebration was found in Ancient Egypt. This happened about 3 thousand years BC. At that time, such honors were the exclusive privileges of the pharaohs, who were equated with the gods in the flesh. A little later, the custom spread to their male heirs. Women, no matter how noble they were, were not honored with such an honor.

The situation changed only in the time of Cleopatra. It was a period of great change and innovation. Innovations have not bypassed this area either. Festivities in honor of the birth of the rulers were held with magnificent feasts, in which not only the nobility and persons close to the pharaohs, but even the poor and slaves took part. It is not surprising that the birthday of the rulers has become a favorite among all holidays. Often, large-scale amnesties were timed to coincide with this, so prisoners were released from prisons awaiting the death penalty or a less terrible punishment.

Greece and Rome

Here, even in the era of Hellenism, birthdays were celebrated by all the people. But these were holidays not of individuals, but of the gods or the first persons of the state. Only they did it not once a year, as is customary now, but once a month. In fact, these dates served as a modern weekend, when people could not work and take a break from daily work.

Scientists involved in the history of this holiday believe that the custom of blowing out candles on a birthday cake originated precisely in Ancient Greece. The birthday of Artemis - the goddess of the moon - was celebrated with the lighting of candles on a cake. These candles figuratively symbolized the light of the moon in the dark sky. The custom was really beautiful, so it is not surprising that it survived and came down to us after several millennia.

AT Ancient Rome a birthday boy from a wealthy family put on festive attire, accepted congratulations, and treated guests to various dishes. by the most popular gifts at that time, songs or poems of one's own composition were considered.

Ordinary people, not belonging to the upper class, began to celebrate this date only in the 2nd century BC. But this concerned only the head of the family: women and children were not entitled to such a privilege.

Middle Ages

By this time, the position of the church had already changed, so the date was not just written down in the parish book, but was considered sufficient reason to celebrate it. Already in the XII century in Europe, children on their birthdays received gifts every year, blew out candles on a birthday cake. History reports that even then there was a wonderful custom to think cherished desire during the blowing out of the candles, which you can’t tell anyone about so that it comes true. In Germany, there were as many candles in a birthday cake as the birthday of the hero of the occasion.

China

In China, for a long time, the starting point for determining age was not the date a person was born, but the New Year after that. Therefore, the birthday was celebrated all over the country at the same time. By the 8th century, the situation had changed, and the dates for everyone corresponded to the day when each person first saw the world. It was possible to celebrate exactly as long as the parents were alive. After their death, any celebrations on this occasion were considered inappropriate, but the gifts still remained relevant. Gifts always had to be modest, it was regulated even at the level of authorities. So, a person who presented an overly expensive gift to an official was punished with exile.

Russia

Until the revolution in Russia, the relevance of the birthday was not high, the only exception was the date of the birth of the sovereign, which was public holiday. Simple people name days were celebrated instead.

After the revolution, all the customs that used to be related to name days smoothly flowed over to the birthday. So the hero of the occasion began to be called the birthday man, and the holiday itself - the name day. Although these concepts are fundamentally different, in Russia they have become identical.

Modern traditions

Over the past century, the cultures of many countries have mixed and adopted many features from each other. History shows that people need such a celebration, it reminds of the meaning of life, the inexorable flow of time and the importance of having time to do everything planned before the time comes to leave this world.

Now the customs and rituals related to this holiday are in many ways similar in all parts of the Earth. But still they have their own individual features and characteristics.

the USSR

In all the republics of the USSR, the celebration gradually spread to all segments of the population. Children were looking forward to this date, and adults were preparing for it especially carefully. Close relatives tried to give valuable gifts, and acquaintances were limited the usual congratulations and wishes of happiness and health.

Anniversaries - 50th, 55th and 60th anniversaries were considered special dates. The solemnity of the moment was supplemented by the fact that on the last indicated dates the age of retirement came. This was considered a huge stage in life, therefore it required special gifts and celebrations.

China

The East is a delicate matter, and this is especially felt when it comes to Chinese festivities. Birthday in this country is celebrated not for everyone, but only for children younger age and old people. Regarding the determination of the date, there is a dual approach here: it can be set both according to the Chinese lunar calendar and according to the standard Gregorian calendar, common in Europe and America. It is interesting that the age of a person includes not only the period of life, but also the time of pregnancy.

Japan

Here, the birthday became a widespread holiday only in the 20th century. But not everyone sends congratulations to the birthday boy: parents congratulate children, and children congratulate parents. Every year, this date is not celebrated for kids, but at the age of 3, 5 and 7 years, the hero of the occasion is especially pampered and delighted.

There is a celebration in Japan of those who are 20 years old, but it is celebrated on a common date for the whole country. Young people know how to spend it fun, on a grand scale and with a lot of entertainment.

Ireland

There exists unusual tradition: friends of the birthday boy turn him upside down and hit the top of his head on the floor as many times as he is years old. It is believed that this will bring him good luck next year.

Jamaica

Guests are obliged to smear the hero of the occasion with dust, the role of which is played by flour. To do this, the guests suddenly jump out of the ambush and make an impromptu "salute" of flour. Photos in this form are a mandatory attribute of the holiday.

Mexico

The main requisite for the holiday is the piñata. It is a hollow animal figurine, into which they put confetti, sweets, small surprises, etc. It must be broken with a stick with closed eyes, after which the guests collect all the sweets and sweets and share them among themselves.

Just like death and taxes, a birthday is something that happens to everyone. Humans have been around for millions of years, so birthdays have already happened many times. Nevertheless, mankind began to track this date not so long ago. Once it was not a holiday, but now some even celebrate the anniversary of the dog. Check out a variety of facts about birthdays in history, they may surprise you!

Egyptian pharaohs did not celebrate on the day they were born

There is information that the Egyptian pharaohs were the first to celebrate the birthday, while the holiday did not take place on the birthday. The day of the coronation was celebrated, because it was believed that after that the ruler was reborn and became a god.

The Greeks were the first to use cake candles.

It is believed that the tradition of making a cake with candles dates back to ancient Greece. People tried to make sacrifices for Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and therefore prepared crescent-shaped cakes with candles. The moon is the symbol of this goddess.

The city of Alexandria was built according to the position of the sun on the birthday of Alexander the Great.

It is believed that the Egyptian city of Alexandria was built in a certain place, which coincided with the direction of sunrise on the birthday of Alexander the Great, after whom the city is named.

The first invitations to the feast were on Roman tablets

The first birthday invitations were sent out by the wife of a Roman commander in 100 AD. Paper had not yet been used, so signs were sent out.

The most expensive party cost twenty-seven million dollars

We all know that a birthday can be celebrated in style, but nothing compares to the spending of the Sultan of Brunei. He spent almost thirty million to celebrate his fiftieth birthday, and most of it went to pay for Michael Jackson's performance.

In ancient Rome, only men celebrated their birthdays.

In the patriarchal Roman society, only men were allowed to celebrate birthdays. It is not until after the twelfth century that the first records of such a feast for women appear.

Christians at first believed that such a holiday was a pagan tradition.

In the Middle Ages, Christians believed that it was a sin to celebrate your birthday. We only celebrated Christmas. Over time, the church became more relaxed about the tradition and celebrations became more common.

The song "Happy Birthday" was at first with completely different words

This song is popular in many countries, but few people know that it was originally a melody about good morning, and not congratulations on the holiday. The song was written by the schoolteacher Mildred Hill, it happened at the end of the nineteenth century. The students were supposed to start the school day with a song.

Modern cakes appeared after the seventeenth century

German confectioners invented what later became modern cake. Then they began to arrange holidays especially for children.

Sweet cakes became popular after the industrial revolution

Prior to this, people could not afford the ingredients needed to make a sweet or beautiful cake. Therefore, the tradition was not widespread.

Longevity pasta was popular during the Tang Dynasty

Today's Chinese also prefer cake, but traditionally long noodles had to be eaten, symbolizing a long and healthy life.