Happy Birthday
This week there are two birthdays in my family. My second grandson, Elliot, will be 25 on Saturday. My second great-grandson, Luca, is one year old today. Elliot and Luca are cousins, not quite first cousins as Luca’s mother, Kiri, is Elliot’s first cousin. She is three years older than him
Celebrating birthdays was not always a commonly held tradition. It is only in the last century and a half that it has become customary for everyone to celebrate their birthdays. Before that only notable, important figures like rulers, Pharaohs for example, were celebrated.
However, Pharaohs did not celebrate their birthdays on the date they were born but on the day they were crowned. Pharaohs became gods at their coronation and so were reborn.
In Ancient Rome only men were allowed to acknowledge birthdays.
The song traditionally sung on birthdays started as a greeting song to be sung in classrooms. ‘Good morning to all’ was written in the late nineteenth century and the melody was adopted by ‘Happy birthday to you.’
During the 18th century German bakers started making cakes to celebrate children’s birthdays but it was the Ancient Greeks who are credited with putting candles on cakes. They made moon cakes as offerings to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and put candles on them. The crescent moon is a symbol associated with Artemis.
Luca on the beach this summer with his sister AriellaI think the celebrations for Luca and Elliot will be very different but I hope they both enjoy their days.
Elliot at another cousin's wedding last year
