It is simply impossible to name the exact date of the emergence of such a wonderful tradition as the celebration of a birthday. This can be explained very simply: you need to know the exact date. Therefore, it can be assumed that the history of the birthday holiday begins after the invention of the calendar by man.
Today the birthday is celebrated by people all over the world, with the exception of some sectarian organizations. Different countries have their own characteristics of this holiday, but the essence is the same: relatives and friends come to visit the hero of the occasion, bring gifts, have fun and treat themselves to different delicacies.
Birthday is the day of the year on which a person was born - the birthday person. Birthday is a holiday celebrated all over the world, regardless of race or gender. Being the most popular and widely celebrated holiday, it has its own unique and fascinating history, exact information about the origin of which does not exist. Only some versions are known that try to explain the history of the birthday.
The earliest evidence of birthday celebrations dates back to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, dating from about 3000 BC. e., however, some historians note that neither reliable evidence of the celebration of the birthday (as opposed to the celebration of the birth of the heir and the annual day of accession), nor even records of the exact date of birth of the pharaohs appear until the 7th century BC. e., or even before the time of Hellenism. The birthday was celebrated only for the pharaohs and their heirs; the first celebration of a woman's birthday belongs to the reign of Queen Cleopatra II (II century BC). The custom of celebrating the birthday of the king also existed in Assyria. The birthday was celebrated with a feast in which the nobility, as well as servants and slaves, took part; in honor of the holiday, prisoners were often released from prisons.
There are records of the exact dates of the birth of children and of holiday sacrifices on this occasion at the court of the Sumerian Ensi Lugaland in the XXIV century BC. er … Perhaps this is the first reliable evidence of a birthday celebration. Moreover, among the Sumerians and Babylonians, at least until the 8th or even up to the 6th century BC. e. usually not only the dates of birth were not recorded, but even the ages of people, heroes and gods. In the book of Genesis it is mentioned that Pharaoh on his birthday "made … a feast for all his servants."
Interest in the exact date of birth spread in the 5th century BC. e. among the Babylonians conquered by the Persians due to the popularity of horoscopes. The celebration of private birthdays was adopted by the Persians of the Achaemenid State (according to the reports of Herodotus and Plato). Other eastern peoples also knew the custom of celebrating a birthday with feasts and presenting gifts to the hero of the occasion.
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Version one: the birthday holiday originated as a secret rite of Black magic, which has pagan roots.
In many publications dedicated to Black Magic, there are footnotes that the original idea of the birthday holiday has its roots in ancient pagan rites. It is quite natural for Black magic to use spells, asking the favors of both good and evil forces, moreover, in accordance with magical beliefs, a person's spirit is most vulnerable on the day and hour of his birth and at the same time is most susceptible to spells. Even birthday greetings and wishes are perceived by Black magic as spells that can affect the fate of a person, both in a good and in a bad way. Since good birthday wishes bring good luck, a person should avoid meeting his enemy on his birthday and should be surrounded exclusively by friends, that is, well-wishers.
This is quite similar to the truth, since both Christianity and Paganism and Black Magic were at one time equal religions, moreover, they fought fiercely for the souls of their followers. This also explains why the first Christians did not celebrate their birthday, they considered this holiday a manifestation of demonic rituals. In particular, the fact that the Jews (the first Christians were only Jews) did not celebrate their birthday is evidenced by the notes of the historian Josephus dating back to the first century AD: “The law forbids the children of Israel to celebrate the holiday on their birthday, so as not to anger our Lord with excessive libations”. Actually, even this fact is interesting in itself, since in the Bible there is no direct indication of the prohibition of the birthday holiday.
Version two: the birthday holiday was born thanks to the worship of the sun god.
The birthday holiday arose thanks to the cult of the ancient Iranian sun god Mithra, which was widespread in Persia. From the Middle East, the holiday spread throughout Europe through the mediation of the soldiers of the Roman Empire. The birthday holiday has become so popular that it even replaced the once traditional Roman holiday.
The fact that the composition "Happy Birthday to you" is recognized as the most popular song on the planet, which is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, also testifies to the massiveness of celebrating birthdays.
In Russia, birthdays were first celebrated around the 17th century. This is the latest mention of this holiday in history. The traditions of this holiday were completely different from the current ones.
On the evening before his birthday, the birthday boy's family baked pies and birthday rolls, brewed beer. On the birthday itself, adults (parents, relatives) sang a song about a loaf to the birthday boy. Most often, the birthday coincided with the person's name day, therefore, initially, these two holidays were not differentiated.
The Tsar's name days were especially magnificent, with balls. Sometimes the king personally handed out birthday pies, and large festivities with treats were arranged for the people. So much money was spent on one name day of Elizabeth Petrovna that it would be possible to build three royal palaces on them and fully provide them with furniture and curtains.
Birthday celebration has pagan roots, closely intertwined with black magic. There is a belief that, on the day of his birth, a person is most susceptible to the influence of dark forces. It is for this reason that on a day you should surround yourself only with friends and family, avoiding meeting with enemies and ill-wishers. In ancient times, Christianity and paganism were competing religions. It is for this reason that Christians did not celebrate birthdays.
The church, however, considered the celebration of the birthday to be a manifestation of extremely negative behavior. In the minds of Christians, the desire to celebrate the birthday did not arise at all, due to the peculiar perception of the world. It was believed that the world is a place of troubles and sorrow, and it is with the departure of a person from life that a happy time begins without troubles and suffering. The day of death was perceived as a happy day, the day of deliverance from the sinful world.
Another version of the origin of this holiday dates back to the time of the Roman Empire. It is believed that the Roman warriors brought the traditions of birthday celebrations along with some Eastern traditions, in particular the celebration of the birthday of the sun god Mithra. Initially, the cult of Mithra worship spread in Persia, but over time it spread throughout Europe.
Together with the cult of worshiping Mithra, the tradition of celebrating the birthday of God also gained popularity. Over the years, the holiday became widespread and supplanted the tradition of celebrating the birthday of God. Thus, from 400 AD. e. Roman emperors celebrated their birthdays.
Another widespread version says that the beginning of this holiday was laid at the time of Jesus Christ. The tradition of celebrating the birthday is associated with Christmas. The Bible tells about the wise men who came to worship the born infant Christ, bringing with them gifts: gold, incense and myrrh. In addition, the Bible describes another birthday celebration recorded in Genesis 40: 20-22 and dated to about 1513 BC. e.
Each of the versions of the birthday can complement the other. The only known fact is that the ancient Egyptians began to celebrate their birthday for the first time. At first, the holiday was held only in honor of the pharaohs and their male heirs. Everyone was preparing for the Pharaoh's Birthday, because this day was a grandiose national holiday. On this truly solemn day, national festivities were organized, the poor were fed.
On Pharaoh's birthday, prisoners were sometimes released from prisons. Everything was aimed at making people walk and rejoice on this holiday. The date of the birth of the girls was not even recorded anywhere. The first woman to officially celebrate her birthday was Queen Cleopatra II (2nd century BC). She ruled Egypt for 100 years before the famous Cleopatra VII came to power, who made her name famous throughout the world.
Ordinary people in ancient times did not celebrate their birthday, and none of them thought that this event could be turned into a separate holiday.
There was no place for a birthday in the early Christian traditions, at a time when the world was considered to be a place of suffering and sorrow. But during the years of the Reformation, the situation changed radically. It was only by the 12th century that the date of birth of babies in churches began to be recorded. Germany became the first country in Europe to turn a birthday into a celebration. The position of the church regarding the birthday has noticeably softened, the clergy got registration books in which the birthdays and baptisms of residents were recorded, as a result of which, birthdays could not be celebrated in Russia, the tradition of celebrating the birthday came much later.
In the 17th century, only kings, members of the royal family and church hierarchs enjoyed the privilege of celebrating their birthday. Only in the 19th century, the richest people began to celebrate their birthday: successful merchants and wealthy nobles. Birthday has become a truly universal and traditional holiday only in the last century. It should be noted that in some countries of the world the date of birth is still celebrated not every year, but only at a certain age, although in most cultures it is customary to arrange parties and give gifts to the birthday boy every year. In Russia, it is customary to hum the song "Karavai", which has come down to our days since ancient times.
Influenced by Western culture, this traditional song is quite often inferior to the English-language "Happy Birthday to you". In Russia, Birthday is a solemn day and a favorite holiday for a huge number of people. On such a day, in whose families a holiday was planned, the house of guests is always full, invited by the parents of the birthday boy or the birthday boy himself. In this regard, a festive table is set, and all guests are treated to various goodies: pies, rolls and loaf. In honor of the birthday boy they sing songs, dance, play various funny games. In addition, there are many traditions associated with this holiday.
So, for example, it is customary to pull the birthday man by the number of years the hero of the occasion turns. It is worth noting that the concept of "birthday boy" is not entirely accurate, although it is used in relation to a person celebrating his birthday, since the name day and birthday are completely different events. Nevertheless, given the widespread use, you can afford to combine concepts.
One of the most common birthday rituals is the preparation of a birthday cake with candles stuck in it according to the number of years the birthday person is celebrating. Before cutting the cake, the birthday boy makes a wish, and then blows out all the candles lit on the cake. If he manages to blow out all the candles in one breath, his wish will come true.
In other countries of the world, there are other interesting traditions and customs associated with this holiday. For example, in China, a plate of long pasta is supposed to be eaten on a birthday. The trick of tradition is to suck in as long pasta as possible without biting off. The longer the pasta, the longer the life will be.
In Germany, on the day a German bachelor turns 30, an old tradition tells him to take up the broom and clean the steps of the city council, the square, etc. In the meantime, his friends have to toss his work in the form of small pebbles. The test will continue until one of the unmarried women passing by gives the birthday boy a tender kiss. After that, the whole company goes to celebrate.
In Ireland there is an old tradition of turning the birthday person upside down and hitting the floor. So, he is hit once for every year he has lived and again - for good luck.
Ancient Jews. The ancient Jews have no evidence of birthday celebrations, with rare exceptions for the birthdays of rulers in the Hellenistic era and later. In particular, Flavius (Antiquities, XIX, 7, § 1) mentions a feast in honor of the birthday of Agrippa I. In addition, from the Gospels it is known about the celebration of the birthday of King Herod, which ended with the execution of John the Baptist.
In the Talmud, it is noted in several places that the birthday is a special date of significance to a person; at the same time, for the Talmudic sages and later rabbis, birthday is a pagan holiday that should not be celebrated. Among the arguments was the fact that the mention of the birthday of the pharaoh is the only mention of the celebration of the birthday in the Torah. This attitude persisted among some of the Jews for a long time.
Much later, from the XIV century, Jews developed the custom of celebrating their 13th birthday, which coincides with the attainment of religious majority.
In Jamaica, as a sign that the birthday boy is older, his friends sprinkle him with "dust", the role of which is traditionally performed by flour. This can be done either by attacking from an ambush, or by seizing the moment in the midst of a birthday celebration.
In Mexico, one of the indispensable attributes of a birthday is considered to be a piñata - an empty paper figure of an animal inside. Candies and all sorts of different goodies are put inside, the child is blindfolded, given a stick in his hands, untwisted, after which he must break the piñata with a stick so that the sweets will spill out.
In that part of Canada, which is closer to the Atlantic Ocean, during the celebration of the birthday, they arrange "ambushes" on the birthday people. The task is to grease the noses of the birthday boy with oil so that troubles and misfortunes are kept at a distance.
In Brazil and Italy, there is a tradition of pulling by the ears or by the earlobe, similar to the tradition existing in Russia. Thus, regardless of where a person lives, Birthday is considered a special, extraordinary day, marking a new and unknown stage in a person's life.
In many countries of the world, Birthday is a desired and beloved holiday. Children are especially kind to him, anticipating surprises and waiting for long-awaited gifts. But even adults, often like children, expect the onset of the holiday, preparing in every possible way for the upcoming celebration and counting the days until the long-awaited holiday.