By Shatarupa Ganguly
06 July, 2022
We celebrate our birthdays every year, but historical records suggest that it started around 3000 BCE with the Egyptian nobles who could only afford it and believed that the Pharaohs transformed into gods on this day. Although present-day traditions are not as amusing as early days, there are still some unusual practices you have never heard of before!
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In Denmark, a Danish flag is usually placed outside the house signalling that it is someone’s birthday. For a child’s birthday, the presents are placed around the child’s bed so that they wake up with a delightful surprise.
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Cakes are not a necessity on birthdays in Russia as you will be presented with a glorious homemade pie complete with a personalised message carved on the top.
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The birthday rituals in China are quite fascinating. Some believe that eating long noodles on birthdays brings long life, and gifts like a watch or a clock are not favoured as these are considered bad luck. As for a child's first birthday party, it is celebrated when they turn two years old.
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In Canada, the person celebrating their birthday has their nose greased, usually with butter, by friends and family. It is believed that any bad luck you run into will simply slide right off with the greased nose!
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In Mexico, birthday parties are celebrated with a piñata (a decorated vessel) filled with candy and hung up to be broken by blindfolded people who take turns hitting it with sticks until it breaks open, spilling all the candy for others to eat.
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In New Zealand, after the candles on the birthday cake are blown out, the birthday person receives a clap for every year they are old and one extra for good luck.
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In Israel, the birthday child wears a crown of flowers or leaves and sits on a decorated chair that is lifted the same number of times as their age and the guests dance around them.
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In Brazil and Jamaica, the birthday traditions involve getting flour thrown at you. Jamaicans limit themselves to throwing flour on their birthday, but Brazilian kids take it a step further by throwing eggs at the birthday child.
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