In ancient times before the calendar was invented, there were no
written records of births. Later kings and those of royalty
were the only ones worthy enough to have their birthdays celebrated. With the introduction of the Egyptian calendar, it was possible to
have information necessary to trace back their birth.
Since it was common belief that on one's birthday the person
could be helped by good spirits or pursued by evil spirits , people
began to get together and have celebrations to bring joy and above
all offer protection from these evil spirits. Giving birthday
gifts was considered a way to show affection and they were
particularly appreciated.
The Catholic church was not in favour of birthday celebrations
because astrology was closely linked to these celebrations and the
Church maintained that astrology was condemned in the Bible.
Finally after the fourth century it became a common practice to
celebrate birthdays.
The song "Happy birthday" was composed by Patty and Mildred Hill
in 1893. Patty was a kindergarten teacher and her sister a pianist
and composer. Together they wrote this famous song. It's original
name was "Good Morning to You" created so that young children could
have this simple song to sing. Soon they began to sing this song at
the children's birthday parties, and so they changed its name to "Happy Birthday to You".
The song was first published in 1912. According to the Guinness
Book of World Records, it's the most recognized song in the English
language.
Different cultures celebrate birthdays in different ways.
Some student research can be useful in finding out more
information about birthday celebrations around the world.
As always, this little article can be used to make up
appropriate questions using all the information given.
It can also be combined with the astrological signs for each
month.
A Nice Thought
"Birthdays are good for you.
Statistics show that the people who have the most live the
longest."