Friday , March 29 2024

So, it’s your Birthday!!!

Today is actually my birthday!  I have received wishes for a great day and to enjoy it the way I love best. I thought I’ll do exactly that!

My love for writing and finding out about traditions just led me to writing this.

 

So ,where exactly does the traditions of a birthday cake and blowing out your candles come from?

Well interesting enough,  the candles goes back to ancient times.  During Pagan years the use of fire in certain rituals dates back to the creation of altars. Candles are said to hold symbolic power. In the past it was believed that evil spirits visited people on their birthday. Protecting them from such evils people would surround the person who was celebrating and make them merry. Partying loudly also scared the evil spirits away.

It seems that the Greeks took an idea from the Ancient Egyptians when it came to celebrating. They would celebrate their Goddess Artemis every sixth day of the lunar month. They would make a type of cake shaped in a moon and light candles to honour her.

We also see still, many Indigenous cultures around the world still use smoke to help carry their prayers to the Gods.

The modern birthday cake with candles became popular in Germany around the seventeen hundreds .It was popular to place a candle for each year of age and blow out the candles making a wish.

As you can see, this modern idea has brought a lot of traditions from different cultures in the past together.

So, next time when you blow out your candles…. Think…

Do you always make a wish when you blow out your candles?

About Louise Inzk

Louise is Australian born and has been a Greek citizen since 1991. She has deep cultural ties with the island, often writing about Zakynthian Traditions and Culture. She is also an active member of the Volunteer Group of Zakynthos, Giostra Di Zante and is a member of the women's choir "Rodambelos". Her love of the island and all it offers saw her joining the Zakynthos (Zante) Informer admin team in 2014.

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