Another Birthday Month Celebration has come to an end. Before I go into my reason for celebrating my birthday all month, let’s look at the history of the Birthday Cake, Candles, Celebrations and Song.
CAKE
Ancient Greeks baked round cakes to symbolize the moon. Candles were added to represent the reflected moonlight. Many ancient cultures believed that the smoke that comes from blowing out candles is carried to the heavens. Today, we make a wish and blow out the candles.
CELEBRATIONS
Birthdays can be celebrated with a gift, party, or rite of passage. Some people do not celebrate birthdays for personal reasons including culture or religious beliefs. Judaism celebrates the 13th birthday by having the rite of passage of a bar or bat mitzvah. Read my blog post about my experience attending a bar mitzvah. It is believed that only the wealthy celebrated their birthday in ancient times and this may be the reason the birthday person is given a crown of some sort to wear.
SONG
The “Happy Birthday to You” song was published in 1893 by two sisters Patty and Mildred Hill.
“So far, this is the oldest I’ve ever been”
So, many of my friends ask, “Why the whole month?” I provide them the quick response “because I am happy to be alive one more year in my right mind and healthy”. It’s also because of the losses I have experienced that were either due to cancer and accidental deaths. I learned so many interesting facts about a person at the memorial services that I wish I knew about them when they were living. 
A few years ago, I decided to host a birthday celebration as if it was my last day on earth. I would ask the questions “What would I want my friends and family to know about me”? What are my dreams and goals? What talents can I share? The most rewarding part of this evening was giving them the opportunity to tell me what I meant to them while I am still here. I called the party “This is My Life”. I will share the steps to planning this type of party in a future blog post.
After hosting this event, I wanted to have a way that allowed my friends and family to celebrate my birthday even if they missed the actual day. And of course, to have a good reason to keep the parties going. Who doesn’t want more happy days – on purpose? Now that you know why I celebrate all month. Let’s look at Sherry’s Birthday Month 2017 slide show. Enjoy!
Leave a comment about how you celebrate your birthday.
Just Gets Sweeter with Time!
Queen She
