Tag Archives: birthday

Folk Belief – Milpitas, CA

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Milpitas, CA
Performance Date: April 27, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Birthday Tradition

Every year on my birthday we have a family get together to celebrate my birthday.  And for dessert, we have a birthday cake.  My mom would always put the same amount of candles on the cake as the age I was turning, plus one candle for good luck.  For example, when I turned eighteen, there were nineteen candles on my birthday cake for good luck.

I believe this extra candle was put on my cake as good luck because as an American, I, and my family, have a future oriented mindset, so the extra candle represents the year to come and assumes I will be alive for at least another year and, hopefully, have good luck all year.  In my family, this tradition, typically, is only carried out on the birthdays of people twenty-five and under, which shows a focus on the young and healthy, whom will be the makers of the future of America.  I had always thought that everybody always put an extra candle on their birthday cakes for good luck, only recently had I discovered otherwise from two of my roommates.

Song

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 7
Occupation: Student
Residence: Clayton, MO
Performance Date: March 20, 2008
Primary Language: English

Song: Happy Birthday Variation

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, you look like a monkey, and you smell like one too.”

Connor explained to me that he learned this song at his elementary school whenever his class sang happy birthday to one of the students. He said that he learned it at Meramec Elementary School in Clayton, Missouri where he is from. However, he told me that his friends from other areas knew the song as well. A good time to perform this song is at a friend’s birthday party, where many children can get together and sing this version. He knows of other ways to continue the song but he said that this is the most popular between him and all of his friends. Parents tend to laugh at the children for singing this version because it reminds them of their own childhood when they used to sing different versions of songs to joke around.

According to Connor, the students sing as loud as they can so that everyone can hear their version over the other. He said that if people can hear the original version of the song, then their joke is not working. The goal is to embarrass the birthday kid on his or her own birthday. By telling the child that he or she looks like a monkey and smells like one too, Connor said that their friend will feel embarrassed as his or her face will hopefully turn red. But, it ends up being just a big joke for everyone to enjoy.

Connor thinks that this revision of the happy birthday song is a funny way to wish someone a happy birthday. He believes that there are many different versions but this is the one he knows the best. I agree with Connor in the sense that this joke is supposed to make people laugh. It is not supposed to mean that the child literally looks and smells like a monkey. Instead, it just makes him or her laugh. Birthdays are all about having fun with friends and family. This joke helps add to the excitement of turning another year older as a child because it gets everyone involved in the song. This song is great for adults too because although they are older now, the tune will help them remember their days as child singing similar birthday songs.

Birthday Tradition – Chinese

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Singapore
Performance Date: April 22, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese

In Chinese culture a person should always eat noodles on their birthday.

The informant, Dominique, is from Singapore. She reports that in China it is traditional for a person to eat noodles on their birthday. The person is meant to eat long noodles because long noodles signify a long life. By eating long noodles on their birthday a person ensures they will have a long life. Dominique was taught the tradition by her parents who are both Chinese and says she actively practices it. She doesn’t know whether the tradition originates from Chinese or Buddhist culture, but says it is widespread. She reports it doesn’t matter what type of noodle you eat, so long as it is a long noodle.  Dominique thinks the practice connects her to her culture and says she will pass it on to her children.

Many cultures have a specific food that is associated with birthdays. In America for example we have birthday cakes. It’s interesting to note that the informant actually knows why she eats noodles on her birthday. She knows the symbolism behind the noodles, whereas I have had cake on everyone of my birthdays, but don’t know the symbolism behind it. Although eating long noodles may not prolong life it is an interesting ritual and something to look forward to on your birthday.

Material Culture – Hispanic

Nationality: American
Age: 61
Occupation: Realtor
Residence: San Diego, CA
Performance Date: April 14, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

“My dad is of Hispanic background and it was traditional at all birthday parties when he was growing up to have a piñata. It was the highlight of the birthday party for him and his seven brothers and sisters. Although my mom knew nothing about piñatas as her parents were British and American it still become a real family tradition and was carried on to myself and my sister. Since I have had my own three children and many grandchildren it has continued to be a must at every event. Not only do we have a piñata at every birthday celebration but we now have it at almost all family celebrations. At Christmas time we always get a piñata of a tree or a Santa and most recently at a pre wedding dinner for my daughter located in Rosarito beach we had one of a bride and groom. The local children in Rosarito beach heard the fun and commotion that was going on and waited for it to be broken so they could get some of the candy. I always make sure that a small gift is put amongst the candy so that the person who finally gets it can enjoy the excitement of getting the gift. Having a piñata at every get together has become the highlight of every event. Even selecting the right piñata generates excitement and enjoyment”. (Jane Munce)

Although having a piñata at every event has become a unique family tradition for the Munce family, piñatas originated many years ago by the Aztecs. They celebrated the god Huitzilopochtli’s birthday by bringing a clay pot to his temple. The pot was heavily decorated with colorful adornments and inside it was filled with little treasures. To break the pot it was hit with a stock and the treasures that spilled out where a tribute to the god. Many cultures strike the piñata with their eyes covered with a blindfold. This is meant to be a representation of one’s willpower and “blind faith” in overcoming the temptations that are thrown at one. (Menzies).

The piñata embodies so much more then just hitting an object and making items fall from it. It encompasses the ideas of the unexpected and the unknown. Blindfolding forces one to undertake a degree of trust in the people that are surrounding him or her. A person is unaware of what the people are doing around him/her as he cannot see but still participates in the event and take a chance at hitting an object uncertain of its position. Additionally one has been spun around many times in order to make one dizzy and this makes hitting the piñata even more difficult than it initially was.

This concept frequently takes place in life itself. Often the situation or circumstance is unclear and one has to use faith that whatever the experience or outcome holds there were will be some positive element that will emanate from it.

Annotation:

For more information on this see (particularly the entire chapter on the Aztecs):

Menzies, Gavin. 1421 the Year China Discovered the World. London: Bantam P, 2007.

Recipe – Chinese

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 78
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Torrance, CA
Performance Date: April 04, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese

Chinese Birthday Noodles

One one’s birthday, everybody present at the celebration must eat long egg noodles such as those pictured to the right.  It can be seasoned with simple substances such as soy sauce, onions, or chicken, but there must be no other excessive particles such as meat chunks or other vegetables present in this particular dish.

My maternal grandfather told this tradition to me, though as a family had been practicing this more or less since I was a young child.  He explained that each facet of the dish was symbolic; for this reason it was important that no corners were cut or exceptions made.  Other dishes could be ordered or consumed at the same meal if desired, but it was imperative that this was ordered and eaten by every individual present.  The long, continuous nature of the noodles themselves represent a long and fruitful life.  The eggs in the noodles are symbolic of fertility, prosperousness, and harmony.  By eating them on his birthday, an individual in a way prepares himself to receive them in the coming year.  When all the dinner guests eat these noodles as well, they actively partake in the process of wishing these things upon the individual.  Flavorings and meats must be present but kept simple; this is representative of an ideal life which is both interesting but contains nothing in excess – the life the individual will hopefully live in the ensuing year.

I had known about this tradition for as long as I can remember.  Every birthday I have celebrated with my family has been celebrated with relatively plain egg noodles.  Even my father’s side of the family knows of this tradition.  This would suggest that it is old and well established, as my maternal and paternal grandfathers are from significantly different parts of China.  My paternal grandfather is nearly ninety-three years of age and comes from the rural Cantonese area of China.  My maternal grandfather is seventy-eight and lived in the more urban Mandarin area, before moving to Taiwan and eventually coming to the United States.  Both came to the United States when they were in their twenties.  This tradition is therefore somewhat puzzling; because although it would seem to be rooted in antiquity, individual birthdays are rarely celebrated in China.  However, a little research reconciled these two facts.  Everybody celebrates their birthday in China on Chinese New Year; furthermore individual birthdays after sixty are commonly celebrated.  These noodles are eaten on both these occasions.  Furthermore, the symbolic nature of long noodles and eggs are longstanding in Chinese culture.

This tradition was noted briefly by David R. Knechtges in his article “A Literary Feast: Food in Early Chinese Literature.”  The paragraph mentioning these noodles was on page 54 in the Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 106, No. 1.