Birthdays are celebrated every year on the day of your birth. The birthday festivities are special as it celebrates you and is a good excuse to gather around with your family and dearest friends. Usually there is a party, birthday cards, birthday cake and lots of presents just for you. But how did it all start? And what can your birthday tell about you and your future?
History of Birthdays
Our birthdays have been celebrated ever since we were born, but where and how did this tradition begin?
Once upon a time, people did not have a system to keep track of time or dates.
Wrinkles and grey hair appeared on everyone as they aged, our ancestors craved for a way to honour the inevitable milestones.
After starting to pay attention to the cycles of the sun, moon and the seasons, our ancestors were able to create a calendar and celebrate birthdays and other notable days.
The first celebration of birthday as we know now was the Pharaoh’s crowning as the ruler and claiming his god status. This annual occurrence was first mentioned in the bible.
For the Egyptians, this coronation ceremony was more important than their physical birth.
Greeks adopted this tradition for their own birthdays. At first only men who turned 50 and had money celebrated their birthday, but with time everyone started to celebrate birthdays – young, females and those who didn’t have lots of money.
Greeks also believed this major milestone welcomed the presence of evil spirits. They lit candles and gathered around the birthday person to wish them good and make lots of noise to ward off unwelcomed evil.
How to celebrate birthdays?
Birthdays are celebrated across the world and each culture has their own traditions.
In Mexico, the tradition for children’s birthdays is to have a Piñata. A cardboard donkey filled with candy that the birthday girl/boy would bash blindfolded until all the candy falls out. All the guests would participate in the gathering of the candy from the floor.
In Denmark, if the person is not married on their 21st birthday they are tied to a lamppost and cinnamon powder is thrown at them. If they are still not married on their 27th birthday, they are tied to a lamppost and pepper is thrown at them. They believe this spices them up for a prospectus spouse.
In Hinduism, a child’s first birthday is the most important as it marks the child’s accomplishment of reaching their first milestone. Their hair is shaved to symbolically shed any karmic debt from previous lives.
In Latvia, the tradition is to pull the birthday person’s ears for every year of their age. Alternative, method is to punch someone’s arm for every year they have lived.
Usually everywhere around the world birthdays involve gathering of people, having a feast, opening presents, eating a cake and dancing. A lot of pictures are taken to remember how good of a time everyone had on that day.
Making birthday wishes when you blow the candles on the cake, has been the tradition for a long time. The ritual involves placing the amount of candles that would match the years that you are celebrating and blowing them while focusing on a wish you want. The key is not to tell anyone what you wished for, until the wish comes true.
Presents
Sometimes it is hard to think of what you could give as a present, even to the dearest person you know the best. Here are some questions you could ask yourself to come up with the perfect gift idea for the birthday person:
There are some presents that you can never go wrong with and are safe. If time is running out, or you don’t know them that well. Here are some ideas for ‘always-welcome-safe’ presents:
Socks; T-shirt; candles; incense sticks; a plant; perfume; body cream; hand cream; face mask; shower gel; shaving kit; nail design stickers; book ‘’Power of Now’’ by Eckhart Tolle; their birthstone necklace or bracelet; car air-freshener; flower vase.
These are good gifts because they are useful and have universal demand. Socks and T-shirts are my personal favourite as the wearer will think of you when wearing them and it can be a really funky design they wouldn’t dare to get for themselves and it will make them stand out.
It is also nice to express your feelings towards the birthday person with a birthday card. You can buy a card or make it yourself. Click here to get inspired.
What can your birthday tell you about you?
Using your birth date, time and year you can tell a lot about yourself and predict your future. There are a few schools that use your birthday information to give you insight into your life purpose and your personality traits.
Numerology
Numerology is a type of divination that uses your date of birth and your birth name number values. By adding up numbers you can determine things like soul urge, personality number and life path number.
To find out how you can figure out yours follow through to this site: Numerology: History, Origins, & More – Astrology.com
Chinese zodiac signs
Chinese years are twelve animal representatives that follow through one after another. The story goes that once a smart Jade Emperor decided that there should be a way to measure time and that each year should be named after an animal to figure out the order he made the animals have a water race.
The cat and the rat were worried as they were not good swimmers, so they asked the ox to take them over the river. When they got closer to the finish line the rat pushed the cat out of the way and left it to struggle in the water. The rat won the race and the ox got tricked to come second.
Then third came a very tired tiger who put in a lot of effort to swim to the finish line.
The rabbit came next and he didn’t have to swim at all as he jumped on a log that floated along the river that took him to the finish line.
The dragon came in fifth, because during the race he supplied the animals in the race with water and blew on the log that the rabbit was on to help him win.
The horse was racing to claim the sixth place but as he approached the finish line a sneaky snake came out of his hoof and startled the horse, taking its place. The horse had to settle for seventh place.
A few moments later a monkey, a goat and a rooster came on a raft. The animals worked together to win the race. The rooster found the raft, the monkey and the goat cleaned it from weeds and pushed it off the shore.
The emperor decided that the eighth animal would be the goat, the ninth the monkey and the tenth would be the rooster.
The eleventh animal that came was the dog. He came so late because the water was so clean that he had to take a bath on his way.
The last place in the chinese zodiac was taken by the boar. On his way he decided to eat and take a nap.
The chinese zodiac signs follow this order to this day and you can learn a lot about yourself depending on what year you were born.
Find out more about yourself here: Chinese Zodiac | Astrology.com
Zodiac signs
Zodiac signs are determined by the movement of the Earth around the Sun and noting which constellation the sun is in determines your Sun sign or as many people refer to the Zodiac sign. It takes a year for the Sun to move through each star constellation.
A quick guide through the signs:
Aries
Strengths: Courageous, determined, confident, enthusiastic, optimistic, honest, passionate
Weaknesses: Impatient, moody, short-tempered, impulsive, aggressive
Aries likes: Comfortable clothes, taking on leadership roles, physical challenges, individual sports
Aries dislikes: Inactivity, delays, work that does not use one’s talents
Taurus
Strengths: Reliable, patient, practical, devoted, responsible, stable
Weaknesses: Stubborn, possessive, uncompromising
Taurus likes: Gardening, cooking, music, romance, high quality clothes, working with hands
Taurus dislikes: Sudden changes, complications, insecurity of any kind, synthetic fabrics
Gemini
Strengths: Gentle, affectionate, curious, adaptable, ability to learn quickly and exchange ideas
Weaknesses: Nervous, inconsistent, indecisive
Gemini likes: Music, books, magazines, chats with nearly anyone, short trips around the town
Gemini dislikes: Being alone, being confined, repetition and routine
Cancer
Strengths: Tenacious, highly imaginative, loyal, emotional, sympathetic, persuasive
Weaknesses: Moody, pessimistic, suspicious, manipulative, insecure
Cancer likes: Art, home-based hobbies, relaxing near or in water, helping loved ones, a good meal with friends
Cancer dislikes: Strangers, any criticism of Mom, revealing of personal life
Leo
Strengths: Creative, passionate, generous, warm-hearted, cheerful, humorous
Weaknesses: Arrogant, stubborn, self-centered, lazy, inflexible
Leo likes: Theater, taking holidays, being admired, expensive things, bright colors, fun with friends
Leo dislikes: Being ignored, facing difficult reality, not being treated like a king or queen
Virgo
Strengths: Loyal, analytical, kind, hardworking, practical
Weaknesses: Shyness, worry, overly critical of self and others, all work and no play
Virgo likes: Animals, healthy food, books, nature, cleanliness
Virgo dislikes: Rudeness, asking for help, taking center stage
Libra
Strengths: Cooperative,diplomatic, gracious, fair-minded, social
Weaknesses: Indecisive, avoids confrontations, will carry a grudge, self-pity
Libra likes: Harmony, gentleness, sharing with others, the outdoors
Libra dislikes: Violence, injustice, loudmouths, conformity
Scorpio
Strengths: Resourceful, brave, passionate, stubborn, a true friend
Weaknesses: Distrusting, jealous, secretive, violent
Scorpio likes: Truth, facts, being right, longtime friends, teasing, a grand passion
Scorpio dislikes: Dishonesty, revealing secrets, passive people
Sagittarius
Strengths: Generous, idealistic, great sense of humor
Weaknesses: Promises more than can deliver, very impatient, will say anything no matter how undiplomatic
Sagittarius likes: Freedom, travel, philosophy, being outdoors
Sagittarius dislikes: Clingy people, being constrained, off-the-wall theories, details
Capricorn
Strengths: Responsible, disciplined, self-control, good managers
Weaknesses: Know-it-all, unforgiving, condescending, expecting the worst
Capricorn likes: Family, tradition, music, understated status, quality craftsmanship
Capricorn dislikes: Almost everything at some point
Aquarius
Strengths: Progressive, original, independent, humanitarian
Weaknesses: Runs from emotional expression, temperamental, uncompromising, aloof
Aquarius likes: Fun with friends, helping others, fighting for causes, intellectual conversation, a good listener
Aquarius dislikes: Limitations, broken promises, being lonely, dull or boring situations, people who disagree with them
Pisces
Strengths: Compassionate, artistic, intuitive, gentle, wise, musical
Weaknesses: Fearful, overly trusting, sad, desire to escape reality, can be a victim or a martyr
Pisces likes: Being alone, sleeping, music, romance, visual media, swimming, spiritual themes
Pisces dislikes: Know-it-all, being criticized, the past coming back to haunt, cruelty of any kind
Planet Alignment
Planet arrangement on the day and time of your birth can predict what you will face in your lifetime and what challenges you could overcome. On the day of your birth you can find out where each of the plants were and that will tell you more about you!
Sun signifies your basic personality.
Moon sign shapes your emotions and colours your inner stuff below the surface.
Mercury tells you about your mind and communication style.
Venus is all about love and attraction.
Mars is referring to your drive and energy.
Chiron sign explains your core wounds in this lifetime and how to unlock your personal superpowers.
Jupiter is responsible for your luck, growth and wisdom.
Saturn is about discipline, fears and challenges.
Uranus is change and originality.
Neptune explains your dreams and healing.
Pluto is your power and transformation.
Find out more at: Learn Astrology with The AstroTwins | Astrostyle Horoscopes
Native American Astrology
Native Americans have their own version of the zodiac signs. They used the same system of looking at the arrangement of the stars to figure out your present and future. Find out more about yourself here: Native American Zodiac & Astrology | Birth Signs & Totems (whatismyspiritanimal.com)
Mayan Astrology
Mayans were the most progressive ancient civilization and were extremely advanced. They had a different way to calculate and divide the year. In a year they had 18 months that consisted of 20 days and 5 nameless days that would turn the year into 365 days. They also had their own way of calculating your personality type and predicting the future using the star alignments.
Find out yours here: Get Your Mayan Astrology Report | Tzolkin calculator | MyMayanSign
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