AS a little girl, my birthday was celebrated with a new cartoon theme every year, my parents invited friends/neighbours and I ate cake until my head started to hurt. While the latter did not change, I can say as the years went by my perspective on birthdays changed. Today, August 4, is actually the day of my birth. Every year, I wake up to my mother hugging and kissing me and as she sits by my bedside; she tells the same story over and over again of the night and day of my birth. My father would then join us and remind her of how she nearly broke his hands with the squeezing. Throughout the day, my family and close friends find ways to make me feel special and appreciated.

Some people celebrate birthdays to give thanks to their God/religion, others give gratitude towards theirs parents for their efforts, time and even the mother’s physical pain through birth while most people make the celebrations self-oriented where they see it as a day for their own self-appreciation and care. We celebrate birthdays, but why? We can choose any other day, any other milestone but why birthdays? Personally, I celebrate my birthday in hopes of remembering the sacrifices my parents made for me and I use the day to reflect on my past challenges, giving gratitude to those who have helped me get where I currently am.

Before there were any calendars and before humans started to record time, it was impossible to track birthdays much less any milestone. People back then were aware of aging but just not a specific number. The crowning of a Pharaoh in ancient Egypt was believed to transform them into a God. The Egyptians classed this as a ‘birthday’ as it was their birth of becoming a God and this was the first set of records of birthday celebrations. Ancient Rome eventually adopted the tradition and was the first set of people to celebrate the birth of normal citizens, not only royals and noblemen. The first set of Christians never celebrated birthdays because it was classed as a pagan holiday. But how can we forget about Christmas? It is now a big celebration and observance of the nativity of Christ. Even the Germans and Greek played a part in the history of birthdays. The Germans popularised the ‘birthday cake’ as German children were given cakes with the number of candles to commemorate their ages while the Greeks were the ones who first introduced candles to birthdays. They lit them as a tribute to the Lunar Goddess; Artemis and as a means of prayer.

Many of the worlds culture’s, over thousands of years, contributed to what we know as a birthday today. Today, we sing the famous ‘Happy Birthday Song’ composed by Mildred J. Hill and Patty Hill, blow out our candles, eat cake and spend the day with our loved ones. In fact, some of my fondest memories are from birthday gatherings with the closest family and friends I have. Nowadays, you do not have to be a royal to celebrate your birth and birthdays are even linked to zodiac signs. It goes as far as big sweet 16 parties, Quinceañeras and 10s parties (20, 30, 40), etc. I discovered a quote that said, “there are two great days in a person’s life- the day we are born and the day we discover why.” I do believe we were all born with a purpose but the only person who can discover what is your purpose, is you. As we age, people are embarrassed to say what their age is. As my father would say, “birthdays are a reminder that we’re one year closer to the grave” and I guess that many older adults share this perspective as well. Dark humour aside, we should focus on life as it is while we’re alive and celebrate that we are alive and surrounded by people who love us. Whatever your reason for celebration is, I do hope you enjoy it with the ones you love inclusive of yourself.