62-439: A birthday is an annual celebration of the date on which a person was born. Birthday ( s ), The Birthday , or B-day may also refer to: Birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution . Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts , birthday cards , a birthday party , or a rite of passage . Many religions celebrate
124-568: A driver's licence . The age of majority is the age when minors cease to legally be considered children and assume control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of their parents or guardians over and for them. Most countries set the age of majority at 18, though it varies by jurisdiction. Many cultures have one or more coming of age birthdays: The birthdays of historically significant people, such as national heroes or founders, are often commemorated by an official holiday marking
186-475: A leap year has 29 days instead of the usual 28, so the year lasts 366 days instead of the usual 365. A person born on February 29 may be called a " leapling " or a "leaper". In common years, they usually celebrate their birthdays on February 28. In some situations, March 1 is used as the birthday in a non-leap year since it is the day following February 28. Technically, a leapling will have fewer birthday anniversaries than their age in years. This phenomenon
248-494: A pagan custom. Saint's days were typically celebrated on the anniversary of their martyrdom or death, considered the occasion of or preparation for their entrance into Heaven or the New Jerusalem . Ordinary folk celebrated their saint's day (the saint they were named after), but nobility celebrated the anniversary of their birth. The "Squire's Tale", one of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales , opens as King Cambuskan proclaims
310-418: A string . The participant is blindfolded , given a wooden stick, and then spun a number of times. As the participants works to hit the piñata, another moves it to make it harder to hit. There is a time limit to any one person's attempts, which is marked out by the singing of a traditional song, "Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino". Piñatas were traditionally made with a clay pot base and many artisans make
372-708: A 16.9% decrease in Caesarean births on Halloween , compared to dates occurring within one week before and one week after the October holiday. In contrast, on Valentine's Day there is a 3.6% increase in spontaneous births and a 12.1% increase in Caesarean births. In Sweden 9.3% of the population is born in March and 7.3% in November when a uniform distribution would give 8.3%. In the Gregorian calendar (a common solar calendar ), February in
434-503: A feast to celebrate his birthday. The Catholic Church , the Eastern Orthodox Church and Protestantism , i.e. the three main branches of Christianity , as well as almost all Christian religious denominations, consider celebrating birthdays acceptable or at most a choice of the individual. An exception are Jehovah's Witnesses , who do not celebrate them for various reasons: in their interpretation this feast has pagan origins,
496-539: A fixed day of the year, which may not necessarily match the day of their birth, but on which celebrations are held. Examples are: Birthdays are fairly evenly distributed through the year, with some seasonal effects. In the United States, there tend to be more births in September and October. This may be because there is a holiday season nine months before (the human gestation period is about nine months), or because
558-400: A highly formal, ritualized manner. They treat Buddha's statue as if it was Buddha himself, as if he were alive; bathing, and "feeding" him. Hindus celebrate the birth anniversary day every year when the day that corresponds to the lunar month or solar month (Sun Signs Nirayana System – Sourava Mana Masa) of birth and has the same asterism (Star/Nakshatra) as that of the date of birth. That age
620-452: A hired professional, i.e. a clown, magician, or musician), and a special toast or speech by the birthday celebrant. The last stanza of Patty Hill 's and Mildred Hill 's famous song, "Good Morning to You" (unofficially titled " Happy Birthday to You ") is typically sung by the guests at some point in the proceedings. In some countries, a piñata takes the place of a cake. In some historically Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox countries, it
682-591: A legal adult on a particular birthday when they reach the age of majority (usually between 12 and 21), and reaching age-specific milestones confers particular rights and responsibilities. At certain ages, one may become eligible to leave full-time education , become subject to military conscription or to enlist in the military, to consent to sexual intercourse , to marry with parental consent , to marry without parental consent, to vote , to run for elected office, to legally purchase (or consume) alcohol and tobacco products, to purchase lottery tickets, or to obtain
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#1732854921384744-622: A living selling just the pot for people to decorate as they wish. However, clay pot piñatas have mostly been replaced by those made with cardboard and papier-mâché , usually fashioned over balloons. One reason for this is that broken pot pieces can be dangerous to children. These are then decorated with crepe paper, other colored paper and other items. Piñatas today come in all shapes and sizes, with many representing cartoon or other characters known to most children. Popular shapes today can include Batman , Superman , Spider-Man or characters based on popular movies and television shows such as Nemo ,
806-436: A newborn the name of a saint celebrated on its day of confirmation , more seldom one's birthday. Some are given the name of the religious feast of their christening's day or birthday, for example, Noel or Pascal (French for Christmas and "of Easter"); as another example, Togliatti was given Palmiro as his first name because he was born on Palm Sunday . Some notables, particularly monarchs, have an official birthday on
868-581: A number of other Latin American countries as well. Piñatas have also become popular in Mexican-American and other Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States, as well as non-Hispanic populations. They are used for birthday parties, Christmas and Cinco de Mayo celebrations. The 2006 video game Viva Piñata is about a world where piñatas compete to be chosen for children's birthday parties. A spinoff television show, also titled Viva Piñata
930-526: A piñata is broken. These are called colaciónes and are given to prevent hurt feelings. There are a number of localities in Mexico that specialize in the making of piñatas for sale. Acolman , the origin of piñatas, along with neighboring Otumba are one. Acolman hosts an annual National Piñata Fair. This event includes cultural events, workshops on the making of piñatas, piñata contests and traditional Posadas. The event has attracted as many as 100,000 visitors over
992-570: A plain clay container, before starting to decorate it with ribbons, tinsel and colored paper. The origin of the Italian word is thought to be linked to the Latin word pinea , "pine cone". The European piñata tradition was brought to Mexico in the 16th century; however, there was a similar tradition in Mesoamerica already. The Mayan tradition was similar to the modern piñata tradition, including blindfolding
1054-548: A showing of piñatas as art rather than just as a party favor. The 2010 event was called Piñatarama, with 25 piñatas made of papier-mâché at the Vértigo Galería in Mexico City, all original works of art by graphic illustrators, from 23 countries including Australia. Some of the illustrators who participated include 1000 Changos, Allan Sieber, Apak, Ben Newman, Cecy Meade, Cristian Turdera, Cupco and Daniel Berman. In Tepatitlán ,
1116-544: A theme for some gifts or decorations. Because of the importance attached to the influence of these stars in ancient China and throughout the Sinosphere , East Asian age reckoning previously began with one at birth and then added years at each Chinese New Year, so that it formed a record of the suì one had lived through rather than of the exact amount of time from one's birth. This method—which can differ by as much as two years of age from other systems—is increasingly uncommon and
1178-489: A thirteen-day period, between September 22 and October 4. The ten least common birthdays (other than February 29) are December 24–27, January 1–2, February 6 , March 22, April 1 and April 25 . This is based on all live births registered in New Zealand between 1980 and 2017. Positive and negative associations with culturally significant dates may influence birth rates. The study shows a 5.3% decrease in spontaneous births and
1240-406: A workshop on how to make traditional piñatas, as part of its outreach program to the public. While the religious significance has been mostly lost, the ceremony that occurs with it has remained mostly intact. Piñatas remain most popular during Las Posadas with birthday parties coming in second. Each participant, usually a child, will have a turn at hitting the piñata, which is hung from above on
1302-408: Is "fed" grass. On Christmas Eve, the log is repeatedly struck with sticks in order to make the log "defecate". The blanket is then removed to reveal the gifts that have been "expelled" by the log. In Italy feasts with a game similar to piñata , called pentolaccia , used to be celebrated the first Sunday of Lent. In Maharashtra, India , another similar tradition called Dahi Handi is observed on
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#17328549213841364-508: Is a container, often made of papier-mâché , pottery , or cloth , that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration. Piñatas are commonly associated with Mexico . The idea of breaking a container filled with treats came to Europe in the 14th century. The Spanish brought the European tradition to Mexico, although there were similar traditions in Mesoamerica , such as
1426-543: Is celebrated at Christmas . Racehorses are reckoned to become one year old in the year following their birth on January 1 in the Northern Hemisphere and August 1 in the Southern Hemisphere. In certain parts of the world, an individual's birthday is celebrated by a party featuring a specially made cake . It may be decorated with lettering and the person's age, or studded with the same number of lit candles as
1488-440: Is common to have a ' name day ', otherwise known as a 'Saint's day'. It is celebrated in much the same way as a birthday, but it is held on the official day of a saint with the same Christian name as the birthday person; the difference being that one may look up a person's name day in a calendar, or easily remember common name days (for example, John or Mary ); however in pious traditions, the two were often made to concur by giving
1550-469: Is difficult to sell other types as most customers prefer to buy those based on popular characters. Mexico exports piñatas to the United States and other parts of the world, but copyright has been an issue there as well. Piñatas based on Disney and other characters have been seized at the border for violating U.S. copyright law. Some have also been seized and destroyed by customs agents under suspect of hiding drugs. One niche market for piñatas in Mexico
1612-501: Is entirely different from the usual word for "year(s)" ( 年 , nián ), reflecting the former importance of Chinese astrology and the belief that one's fate was bound to the stars imagined to be in opposition to the planet Jupiter at the time of one's birth. The importance of this duodecennial orbital cycle only survives in popular culture as the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac , which change each Chinese New Year and may be used as
1674-721: Is exploited when a person claims to be only a quarter of their actual age, by counting their leap-year birthday anniversaries only. In Gilbert and Sullivan 's 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance , Frederic the pirate apprentice discovers that he is bound to serve the pirates until his 21st birthday rather than until his 21st year. For legal purposes, legal birthdays depend on how local laws count time intervals. Some studies show people are more likely to die on their birthdays, with explanations including excessive drinking, suicide, cardiovascular events due to high stress or happiness, efforts to postpone death for major social events, and death certificate paperwork errors. In Judaism ,
1736-629: Is known as Gurpurb . According to Herodotus (5th century BC), of all the days in the year, the one which the Persians celebrate most is their birthday. It was customary to have the board furnished on that day with an ampler supply than common: the richer people eat wholly baked cow, horse, camel, or donkey (Greek: ὄνον ), while the poorer classes use instead the smaller kinds of cattle. The Romans enthusiastically celebrated birthdays with hedonistic parties and generous presents. The Chinese word for "year(s) old" ( t 歲 , s 岁 , suì )
1798-521: Is not used for official purposes in the PRC or on Taiwan , although the word suì is still used for describing age. Traditionally, Chinese birthdays—when celebrated—were reckoned using the lunisolar calendar , which varies from the Gregorian calendar by as much as a month forward or backward depending on the year. Celebrating the lunisolar birthday remains common on Taiwan while growing increasingly uncommon on
1860-458: Is of those themed for adults. These include political figures, especially those who are not particularly liked. Another type for the adult market are sexually-themed piñatas, mostly those in the form of exotic dancers and strippers. Of the female of this type, the most popular are blondes. For the male, darker shades are preferred. These piñatas will be filled with adult items such as condoms in addition to candy. Piñatas are similarly popular in
1922-405: Is reckoned whenever Janma Nakshatra of the same month passes. Hindus regard death to be more auspicious than birth, since the person is liberated from the bondages of material society. Also, traditionally, rituals & prayers for the departed are observed on 5th and 11th day with many relatives gathering. Sikhs celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak and other Sikh Gurus which
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1984-456: Is some debate but it appears that their origin is not Spanish but Chinese. The Chinese version was in the shape of a cow or ox and used for the New Year . It was decorated with symbols and colors meant to produce a favorable climate for the coming growing season. It was filled with five types of seeds and then hit with sticks of various colors. After the piñata was broken, the remains were burned and
2046-708: The American occupation that followed World War II . Children's birthday parties are the most important, typically celebrated with a cake, candles, and singing. Adults often just celebrate with their partner. In North Korea , the Day of the Sun , Kim Il Sung 's birthday, is the most important public holiday of the country, and Kim Jong Il 's birthday is celebrated as the Day of the Shining Star . North Koreans are not permitted to celebrate birthdays on July 8 and December 17 because these were
2108-602: The Gregorian New Year , "year ages" that start with 0 at birth and otherwise increase the same way, and "actual ages" that start with 0 at birth and increase each birthday. First birthday celebrations were heavily celebrated, despite usually having little to do with the child's age. In June 2023, all Korean ages were set back at least one year and official ages henceforth are reckoned only by birthdays. Pi%C3%B1ata A piñata ( / p ɪ n ˈ j ɑː t ə / , Spanish pronunciation: [piˈɲata] )
2170-528: The Las Posadas tradition to co-opt the celebration of the birth of Huitzilopochtli, which was celebrated in mid December. The Mexican Catholic interpretation assigned meanings related to the Catholic doctrine of struggle against temptation , and used for catechism purposes. In this tradition, the seven points represent the seven deadly sins , the pot represents evil, and the seasonal fruit and candy inside
2232-469: The United States and Europe celebrate birthdays as customary especially for children, while some abstain. There is also much controversy regarding the permissibility of celebrating Mawlid , (the anniversary of the birth of Muhammad ), as some Muslims judge the custom as an unacceptable practice according to Islamic tradition. Many monasteries celebrate the anniversary of Buddha's birth, usually in
2294-590: The rabbis are divided about celebrating this custom, although it is accepted by the majority of the faithful. In the Torah the only mention that is made of the birthday, refers to the celebration of Pharaoh's birthday in Egypt, as recorded in Genesis (Parashat Vaieshev) 40:20. Origen in his commentary "On Levites" wrote that Christians should not only refrain from celebrating their birthdays, but should look on them with disgust as
2356-515: The red 100 RMB notes —are the usual gift from relatives and close family friends for most children. Gifts for adults on their birthday are much less common, although the birthday for each decade is a larger occasion that might prompt a large dinner and celebration. The Japanese reckoned their birthdays by the Chinese system until the Meiji Reforms . Celebrations remained uncommon or muted until after
2418-630: The Aztecs' honoring the birthday of the god Huītzilōpōchtli in mid-December. According to local records, the Mexican piñata tradition began in the town of Acolman , just north of Mexico City , where piñatas were introduced for catechism purposes as well as to co-opt the Huitzilopochtli ceremony. Today, the piñata is still part of Mexican culture, the cultures of other countries in Latin America , as well as
2480-654: The Lion King and more. For Christmas, the traditional style with the points is popular as it is associated with the Star of Bethlehem . However, for the most part, piñata designs have been completely commercialized. Traditionally in Mexico, especially at Christmas, piñatas are filled with fruit and candies such as guavas , oranges, jicamas , pieces of sugar cane, tejocotes and wrapped candies. Some piñatas are "traps" filled with flour, confetti or water. Special baskets of treats may be given to children who come up empty handed after
2542-488: The US. In the United States between 1973 and 1999, September 16 is the most common birthday in the United States and December 25 the least common birthday (other than February 29, because of leap years). In 2011, October 5 and 6 were reported as the most frequently occurring birthdays. In New Zealand, the most common birthday is September 29, and the least common birthday is December 25. The ten most common birthdays all fall within
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2604-473: The United States, but it has mostly lost its religious character. The Spanish word piñata probably derives from the Italian pignatta 'fragile pot,' itself from pigna lit. ' pinecone. ' It may also come from Spanish piña lit. ' pinecone. ' Although today, piñatas are typically used for a fun activity at parties, their origins lie in other customs. There
2666-416: The age of the individual. The celebrated individual may make a silent wish and attempt to blow out the candles in one breath; if successful, superstition holds that the wish will be granted. In many cultures, the wish must be kept secret or it will not "come true". Presents are bestowed on the individual by the guests appropriate to their age. Other birthday activities may include entertainment (sometimes by
2728-448: The anniversary of their birth. An individual's Beddian birthday, named in tribute to firefighter Bobby Beddia, occurs during the year that their age matches the last two digits of the year they were born. In many cultures and jurisdictions, if a person's real birthday is not known (for example, if they are an orphan), then their birthday may be adopted or assigned to a specific day of the year, such as January 1. The birthday of Jesus
2790-756: The ashes kept for good luck. The tradition arrived in Europe in the 14th century where it was associated with the Christian celebration of Lent ; in Spain, the First Sunday of Lent , "Piñata Sunday", became a celebration known as the Dance of the Piñata. As the word's Italian origin indicates, pignatta (also pignata and pignàta ) meaning "earthenware cooking pot", the Spanish initially used
2852-447: The birth of their founders or religious figures with special holidays (e.g. Christmas , Mawlid , Buddha's Birthday , Krishna Janmashtami , and Gurpurb ). There is a distinction between birth day and birth date (also known as date of birth): the former, except for February 29 , occurs each year (e.g. January 15), while the latter is the complete date when a person was born (e.g. January 15, 2001). In most legal systems, one becomes
2914-422: The craft to the town after living in Mexico City. Today, piñatas from the town are sold in various parts of the state. In the penal facility of Huajuapan de León , prisoners make piñatas to sell. This began when several prisoners brought the craft with them when they were incarcerated about twenty years ago. These piñatas have become traditional for the population of the city for Christmas. The busiest time for
2976-531: The dates of the deaths of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il , respectively. More than 100,000 North Koreans celebrate displaced birthdays on July 9 and December 18 instead to avoid these dates. A person born on July 8 before 1994 may change their birthday, with official recognition. South Korea was one of the last countries to use a form of East Asian age reckoning for many official purposes. Prior to June 2023, three systems were used together—"Korean ages" that start with 1 at birth and increase every January 1st with
3038-577: The days that it is held, many of whom come from Mexico City. About 400 families in the town of San Juan de la Puerta, in the south of the Cuerámaro municipality in Guanajuato , are dedicated to the creation of piñatas, and produce about 16,000 pieces each month. The making of piñatas supports about half of the people in the town. It is the second most important economic activity after agriculture. This tradition began in 1960 by Juan Remigio Anguiano, who brought
3100-430: The festival of Janmashtami , Lord Krishna 's birthday. The iconography represents Lord Krishna's childhood portrayal as the mischievous Maakhan Chor (butter thief). Clay pots filled with buttermilk, money or treats, in lieu of butter, are hung in public squares or on streets at a height implicitly challenging youngsters to break them. Teams put in great planning, skill and effort to form human pyramids , each higher than
3162-519: The longest nights of the year also occur in the Northern Hemisphere nine months before. However, it appears the holidays have more of an effect on birth rates than the winter: New Zealand , a Southern Hemisphere country, has the same September and October peak with no corresponding peak in March and April. The least common birthdays tend to fall around public holidays, such as Christmas , New Year's Day and fixed-date holidays such as July 4 in
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#17328549213843224-575: The mainland. Birthday traditions reflected the culture's deep-seated focus on longevity and wordplay. From the homophony in some dialects between 酒 (" rice wine ") and 久 (meaning "long" in the sense of time passing), osmanthus and other rice wines are traditional gifts for birthdays in China . Longevity noodles are another traditional food consumed on the day, although western-style birthday cakes are increasingly common among urban Chinese. Hongbaos —red envelopes stuffed with money, now especially
3286-517: The making of items from paper and cardboard. This puts piñatas in the same category as amate paper craft, Judas figures and Mexico City style alebrijes . The Museo de Arte Popular held the first "Concurso de Piñatas Mexicanas" (Mexican Piñata Contest) in 2007 with prizes of 15,000, 10,000 and 5,000 pesos. The purpose of the contest is to help retain this tradition and help it to be continued to be valued. The Museo del Caracol in Mexico City held
3348-424: The other, in an attempt to break the pot and claim the prize. In South Indian villages, festivals feature a competition called Uri adithal (Pot breaking with blindfold) which closely resembles the piñata event. In Japan , a similar game called suikawari is played where a watermelon shell is used. The Philippines has a pinata-based game called hampas- palayok or pukpok-palayok (hit-the-pot), which
3410-566: The participant hitting the piñata. The Aztec tradition commemorated the birthday of Huitzilopochtli . Priests would decorate a clay pot with colorful feathers. When the pot was broken with a stick or club, the treasures inside would fall to the feet of the idol as an offering. According to local records, the piñata was first used for the purposes of evangelism in 1586, in Acolman , in the modern State of Mexico , just north of Mexico City. The Augustinian monks there modified European piñatas and created
3472-483: The piñata breaks, some say (contrary to other interpretations) the treats inside then represent the rewards of keeping the faith. Since that time, the piñata has not retained its religious significance and has become popular in many types of celebrations, not just during December's Las Posadas. The clay pot has been replaced with a papier-mâché container. The creation of piñatas has even taken on an artistic aspect in some areas. David Gamez and Cecilia Meade sponsored
3534-473: The piñatas produced based on these images are not following copyright law, which has caused problems. Copyright holders such as Marvel Comics have complained about infringement by piñata makers in Mexico. Federal authorities have responded by seizing such merchandise in stores in various areas of Mexico City. Vendors complain that they have sold these piñatas for decades and never have had problems. Those who have run into problems with copyright law state that it
3596-471: The sale of piñatas in Mexico is December for posadas. During bad economic times, sales of piñatas can fall as much as thirty percent as they did in 2008. The star shape, or ball with points, still remains popular for the Christmas season, but for other events, traditional designs such as donkeys have almost entirely been replaced by cartoon characters based on U.S. movies and television shows. However, most of
3658-406: The temptations of evil. It was said that person with the stick is blindfolded to represent faith, and the turning, singing and shouting represent the disorientation that temptation creates. In some traditions, the participant is turned thirty three times, one for each year of Christ 's life. As the participant beats the piñata, it is supposed to represent the struggle against temptation and evil. When
3720-454: The world's largest traditional seven-pointed piñata was created in 2010. It measures 11.2 meters, is made of fiberglass and weighs 350 kilograms. It surpasses the former Guinness record holder which was made in 2008 in Pennsylvania . The piñata is most strongly identified with Mexico. The art of making modern piñatas falls under the Mexican craft heading of " cartonería ", which refers to
3782-501: Was created to push sales of the Xbox game created by Microsoft . A similar tradition in Denmark is slå katten af tønden ("hit the cat out of the barrel") in which a wooden barrel is struck to release candy. In Catalonia , a Christmastide tradition known as "fer cagar el tió" ("making the log defecate") is observed. A log is wrapped with a blanket several days in advance of Christmas and
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#17328549213843844-499: Was not celebrated by early Christians, is negatively expounded in the Holy Scriptures and has customs linked to superstition and magic . The birthday does not reflect Islamic tradition, and because of this, the majority of Muslims refrain from celebrating it. Others do not object, as long as it is not accompanied by behavior contrary to Islamic tradition. A good portion of Muslims (and Arab Christians ) who have emigrated to
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