interesting information regarding history of birthday celebrations.
agree, disagree or any thoughts?
share your thoughts on this article.
best,
Dushwari
How Birthday Parties Began ?
How Birthday Parties Started Around the world, friends
and relatives hold birthday parties, give gifts to the
one being honored, and wish “Happy birthday!” to the
one whose birthday is being celebrated. But why? Where
did this universal custom originate?
The World Book – Childcraft International says
regarding “Holidays and Birthdays,” “For thousands of
years people all over the world have thought of a
birthday as a very special day. Long ago, people
believed that on a birthday a person could be helped
by good spirits, or hurt by evil spirits. So, when a
person had a birthday, friends and relatives gathered
to protect him or her. And that’s how birthday parties
began.”
“The idea of putting candles on birthday cakes goes
back to ancient Greece. The Greeks worshipped many
gods and goddesses. Among them was one called
Artemis.” “Artemis was the goddess of the moon. The
Greeks celebrated her birthday once each month by
bringing special cakes to her temple. The cakes were
round like a full moon. And, because the moon glows
with light, the cakes were decorated with lighted
candles.”
The Greeks believed that everyone had a protective
spirit or daemon who attended his birth and watched
over him in life. This spirit had a mystic relation
with the god on whose birthday the individual was
born.
The Romans also subscribed to this idea. This notion
was carried down in human belief and is reflected in
the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron
saint. Birthday candles, in folk belief, are endowed
with special magic for granting wishes. Lighted tapers
and sacrificial fires have had a special mystic
significance ever since man first set up altars to his
gods. The birthday candles are thus an honor and
tribute to the birthday child and bring good fortune.
This authority goes on: “More and more, though, people
the world over attach a certain magic to their actual
date of birth…We may wear a ring with our birthstone
in it for good luck. And when we blow out the candles
on our birthday cake, we are careful to keep what
we wished a secret. If we tell, of course, our wish
won’t come true.”
"In other words, Many times one follows - THE OLD
BIRTHDAY BELIEFS. one pays attention to the meanings
of old-time birth symbols and indulges in OLD
CELEBRATIONS. one does not take them seriously -
mainly for fun.
Why do people say, “Happy birthday!” to each other?
Says this authority, “For the good wishes of our
friends and relatives are supposed to protect us from
evil spirits.”
Egyptians observed birthdays, but only for their
rulers. They held parades, circuses, gladiatorial
contests, and sumptuous feasts! The Romans staged
parades and chariot races to celebrate birthdays; some
of which were created for their gods. Mere mortals
were not honored or even remembered on the day of
their birth.
The birthday cake is only 200 years old! Cakes made
from sweetened bread dough and coated with sugar, were
the first birthday cakes and they originated in
Germany.
It has been said that if the cake falls while baking,
it is a sign of bad luck in the coming year. Coins,
buttons, and rings were baked into cakes. The guest
who receiving the slice with the coin was guaranteed
riches in the future, the ring signified marriage.
In ancient times, people prayed over the flames of an
open fire. They believed that the smoke carried their
thoughts up to the gods. Today, the belief is, that if
you blow out all your candles in one breath, your
wish will come true.
All these customs and traditions connected with the
observance of birthdays have to do with guessing the
future, good wishes for the future, good luck charms
against evil spirits, and the like. All the birthday
rituals, games, and ceremonies are a form of
well-wishing toward the birthday child, which are
supposed to work their magic in the year ahead. But,
as we have seen, the custom is totally PAGAN!
The tradition of birthday parties started in Europe a
long time ago. It was feared that evil spirits were
particularly attracted to people on their
birthdays. To protect them from harm, friends and
family would to come to be with the birthday person
and bring good thoughts and wishes. Gifts brought even
more good cheer to ward off the evil spirits. This is
how birthday parties began.
At first it was only kings who were recognized as
important enough to have a birthday celebration (maybe
this is how the tradition of birthday crowns began?).
As time went by, children became included in birthday
celebrations. The first children’s birthday parties
occurred in Germany and were called Kinderfeste.
Should a Muslim have anything to do with ceremonies
that trace back to pagan times, and pagan rituals?
Should a true Muslim indulge himself or his or her
children in pagan birthday parties, just because they
seem so attractive, fun, and “innocent”?
These birthday celebrations, therefore originated from
pagan belief. These also involve imitation of the Jews
and Christians in their birthday celebrations. Warning
us against following their ways and traditions, The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said : “You would follow the ways of those who came
before you step by step, to such an extent that if
they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would enter it
too.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean)
the Jews and Christians?” He said, “Who else?”
(Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim). The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said:
“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Abu
Dawood)
In the Sunnah: Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased
with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) came (to Madinah) and
they had two days in which they would (relax and)
play. He said, What are these two days? They said, We
used to play (on these two days) during the
Jahiliyyah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Allah has given
you something better instead of them: Yawm ul-Duha
(Eid al-Adha) and Yawm ul-Fitr (Eid al-Fitr).
(Reported by Abu Dawood).
This indicates clearly that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) definitely forbade his
ummah to celebrate the festivals of the kuffaar, and
he strove to wipe them out by all possible means. The
fact that the religion of the People of the Book is
accepted does not mean that their festivals are
approved of or should be preserved by the ummah, just
as the rest of their kufr and sins are not approved
of. Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) went to great lengths to command his
ummah to be different from them in many issues that
are mubaah (permitted) and in many ways of worship.
This being different was to be a barrier in all
aspects, because the more different you are, the less
likely you are to do the acts of those who go astray.
The hadith "Every people has its festival, and this is
our festival " implies exclusivity, that every people
has its own festival, as Allah says (interpretation of
the meaning): “For every nation there is a direction
to which they face (in their prayers) (al-Baqarah
2:148) and
to each among you, We have prescribed a law and a
clear way” (al-Maaidah 5:48). This implies that each
nation has its own ways. The laam in li-kulli (for
every, to each) implies exclusivity. So if the Jews
have a festival and the Christians have a festival, it
is just for them, and we should not have any part in
it, just as we do not share their qiblah (direction of
prayer) or their laws.
Courtesy: www.everymuslim. net