Birthday Parties and Celebrations:
The earliest birthday parties were held
because people believed evil spirits were particuarly attracted to people on
their birthdays. At first it was only kings who were recognized as important
enough to have a birthday celebration. To protect them from harm, friends and
family would to come be with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and
wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off the evil spirits.
As time went by, children became included in birthday celebrations. The
tradition of children's birthday parties first started in Germany, Kinderfeste.
The largest private birthday party to ever happen was in 1970 for Colonel
Harlan Sanders' 89th birthday. The event was attended by over 35,000 people.
Birthday Cakes: One theory about the origin of the birthday
cake is that it originated with the Greeks, who baked round cakes representing
the full moon for their moon goddess, Artemis. They placed candles on the cake
to make it glow, like the moon. The Germans are also credited with the first
cakes and candles. They used a sweet, layered cake and they put a large candle
in the center of the cake to represent "the light of life." Some
people believe the smoke from extinguished candles carries their birthday
wishes up to heaven.
Birthday Cards: The tradition of sending birthday cards
started in England about 100 years ago. Originally cards were often sent as an
"apology" when a person couldn't visit somebody in person.
Birthday Song: The Happy Birthday song is more than one
hundred years old. It was written in 1893 by two sisters, Patty and Mildred
Hill, who were schoolteachers in Louisville, Kentucky. The tune was originally
a morning greeting to their students entitled "Good Morning To All."
The lyrics were copyrighted in 1935, 11 years before Patty's death, and the
ownership has swapped hands in multi-million dollar deals ever since. The
current copyright is owned by Warner Communications. They purchased it in 1989
for more than $22 million dollars. Happy Birthday is recognized around the
world and has been translated into dozens of languages. It is one of the three
most popular songs in the English language.
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